


Top Star Revolution

by auryn991



Series: Top Star Revolution [1]
Category: Uta no Prince-sama, サクラ大戦 | Sakura Taisen | Sakura Wars
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-01-26 13:24:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 59,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1689911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auryn991/pseuds/auryn991
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In order to boost their name as idols, STARISH must take on a cooperative performance with an established performance group. What happens when these playboy popstars must work with the combat-hardened stage actresses of the Imperial Flower Combat Troupe?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beauties and Playboys

**Author's Note:**

> We are all going to operate under the pretense that Sakura Wars takes place in the present day with Uta no Prince-sama. Okay?  
> And try not to judge me on the honorifics- I'm horrible at them.  
> Also, I apologize for the formatting, that's what happens when you copy and paste. I'll fix it when I have a spare minute, I promise.

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 1: Beauties and Playboys

 

 

“Vice Commander, I must have heard you incorrectly. I could swear you just said that we’ll be doing a cooperative performance.”

 

The dry voice that echoed around the Koubu training facility dripped with self-importance. Arms crossed over her chest and knee slightly popped, Sumire Kanzaki was the picture of egotistical rebellion. In line with her were her cohorts, the rest of the women of the Imperial Flower Combat Troupe. Behind them in a small bunch stood their captain, Ohgami, and the three members of their support team, the Wind Division.

 

Vice Commander Ayame Fujieda smiled, that terrifying, delicate smile that she reserved only for those moments when she truly enjoyed doing things that the Flower Troupe would not like. It was always amusing to watch their faces. Sumire, Kanna, and Sakura could never contain their feelings, and watching Maria’s expression become torn between calm collection and exasperation with her companions was endlessly fun.

 

“You heard correctly, Sumire,” she said pleasantly. “Given the recent decrease in demon activity, we thought it might be good to focus on your stage skills for a while. Commander Yoneda has made a deal with some of the big-time moguls from the entertainment industry. Your co-stars will be arriving at the Imperial Theater tomorrow. You may recognize some of their names. Ichinose Tokiya. Ittoki Otoya. Kurusu Syo. Shinomiya Natsuki. Jinguji Ren. Hijirikawa Masato. Cecil Aijima.”

 

Sakura gasped, and Kanna’s jaw hit the floor. Sumire’s eyes twinkled dangerously. Maria, Kohran, and Iris seemed completely confused.

 

“Y-y-you mean- we’re going to work- with- _STARISH?”_ Sakura squeaked. She knew the name, and the members, by heart. Generally speaking, Sakura wasn’t one to be on the cutting edge of the entertainment scene, but Captain Ohgami enjoyed keeping up with the latest music. He had shared STARISH’s debut album with Sakura, and she had loved it immensely.

 

“STARISH?” Kohran asked, baffled. Sakura beamed.

 

“They’re only one of the best pop groups in all of Japan,” she said breathlessly. “They’re all so talented! I can’t wait to work with them!”

 

“Perhaps _you_ can’t,” Sumire added dryly. “Of all of those names, I only recognize two of them, which means that they can’t be worth much. Vice Commander, you can’t honestly expect us to _work_ with these idiots. Ren Jinguji is a brainless playboy, I heard he has no talent whatsoever. I’m sure the same can be said for most of them.”

 

“Sumire!” Sakura gasped. “I didn’t know you knew Jinguji Ren! How do you-”

 

“I don’t,” Sumire snapped. “He is simply the son of a prominent family. The Jinguji Financial Group does a lot of work with Kanzaki Heavy Industries. As, I should mention, does the Hijirikawa Financial Group.” Her sharp tone and gaze softened a bit.

 

“Hijirikawa Masato...he has potential,” she said carefully. “He has been involved in a few theatrical shows, all of which received positive reviews.”

 

Ayame nodded.

 

“STARISH is not your average pop music group,” she said. “In their spare time, most of the members engage in some kind of theatrical or performance work. Hijirikawa is one. Also, Kurusu Syo-”

 

She was cut off by an absolute explosion of noise.

 

“Damn right!” Kanna practically shouted, causing Iris and Kohran to cover their ears. “Kurusu Syo is a fantastic actor! He’s been in some of the best action movies of the last three years. He was in _Prince of Fighting!_ Best guest star they ever had!” She was so excited that Maria had to place a gloved hand on her arm.

 

“You are inside, Kanna,” she reminded her quietly. Blushing, Kanna backed down. She hadn’t meant to overdo it, she just loved action movies. _Prince of Fighting_ was one of her favorite series. 

 

Ayame resumed her sentence.

 

“Yes, Kurusu Syo has also engaged in many acting opportunities, albeit mostly on screen. This will be his first stage performance. Ichinose Tokiya is an experienced actor, mostly in comedy, but some drama as well. Jinguji Ren and Shinomiya Natsuki are most famous for their singing, but they have also each done some professional modeling.”

 

The members of the Flower Troupe paused, their reactions mixed. Maria’s face, as usual, was impassive. Sakura and Kanna looked eager to get started. Kohran and Iris traded shrugs. Neither of them cared too much for outsiders, but if the Commander had set it up, then it must be alright. Sumire had adopted her usual scowl, but there was no helping that. Ayame could have gotten God himself on the Imperial Theater stage and Sumire would still have found something to complain about.

 

Ayame didn’t wait for the Flower Troupe to catch their breath.

 

“Additionally,” she said,  “Musical accompaniment for this show will be provided by special arrangement with the Seiso Academy Music Department. They’ll be sending an ensemble.” Though Ayame’s gaze drifted, she seemed to be making direct eye contact with each of her subordinates.

 

“Though we are always on call for the capital’s defense, I expect each and every one of you to keep this performance your top priority,” she stated firmly. “Group combat training will be put on hiatus until the end of the show’s run, but you will be expected to continue any individual training you observe. The demons are being quiet, but that does not mean they are gone. Is that clear?”

 

Suddenly reminded that they were professionals, the Flower Division stood at attention.

 

“Yes, ma’am!” they responded in unison, as they had so many times before. Ayame nodded sharply, acknowledging them.

 

“I have one last thing to add,” she said, a bit more softly than before. “The intention of this performance is to encourage and benefit from cooperation between performance groups. It is much like the five of you working together by blending your differences. We expect you to branch out and continue to blend with our visiting performers, on and off the stage. We don’t want anyone saying we’re inhospitable, do we?” She smiled, and waved a hand dismissively.

 

“Just keep it in mind. Report to the lobby at two o’clock tomorrow. You are dismissed.”

 

After providing the customary salute to their commanding officer, the Flower Division trickled out of the room. Maria and Sumire headed off in different directions, but with equal silence. Kanna boosted the tiny Iris onto her broad shoulders, making the petite girl smile warmly. Sakura and Kohran followed the Okinawan out into the hallway, headed toward their rooms.

 

“I just can’t believe it,” Sakura gushed, half-clinging to Kohran’s arm. “I can’t believe we’re going to get to meet STARISH! Not only that, but we get to actually work with them! It’s like a dream.” Kohran giggled and pried the taller woman off of her.

 

“I can’t believe you actually know who they are,” she said. “I’ve never heard of them at all. Are they really that special?”

 

“Kurusu’s the only one I know,” Kanna said with the shrug that made little Iris laugh. “But if all seven of them are as talented as he is, then this should be really fun.”

 

Sakura nodded enthusiastically.

 

“I can’t wait to meet them,” she said with a smile. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to perform with someone who isn’t in the Flower Division.” Her eyes clouded just a bit, and her voice took on a husky quality.

 

“But...what if they are better than I am?” When Kanna and Kohran both looked at her questioningly, Sakura lowered her head.

 

“I have a hard enough time keeping up with Sumire. What if they are all as good as she is? Will I be able to perform well enough for them?”

 

The other three girls exchanged glances. Kanna let out a barking laugh and clapped a hand on Sakura’s shoulder.

 

“Don’t you worry, kid,” she said with a wink. “You heard what Sumire says, they’re shameless pretty boys. You’ll be fine.”

 

“That’s right!” Kohran piped up. “Just keep your head up and believe in yourself. You can do it!”  Iris said nothing, but when Sakura met her eyes, the little girl smiled. It was the warm, kind smile that Iris had learned from Sakura herself. Sakura was the one who always told Iris that everything would be alright, and now she quietly returned the favor.

 

That smile lit up Sakura’s face as well.

 

“You’re right,” she said in that cheerful voice that Iris loved. “I just have to do my best!”

 

~*~

 

The afternoon sun shone brightly on the capital city. In the interest of appearing as professional as possible, Saotome had provided the members of STARISH with a limousine and hired driver for the extent of their stay at the Imperial Theater. The long drive to reach their destination, however, threatened to ruin any chance at professionalism by setting a bored stupor over the group.

 

“What are you staring at?”

 

Masato tore his gaze from the window to see who had asked. Ah. Natsuki.

 

“Nothing,” he replied honestly. In actuality, he had been completely lost in thought. Most of the group seemed to assume that he would have an advantage in this endeavor, having done stage performances before, but Masato himself could bring himself to think that way. He still felt as nervous as he ever had. Plus, this time, there were five women, not just one.

 

Natsuki smiled, sensing his friend’s internal distress. Sometimes it took a bit of effort to drag Masato out of his own head and get him to participate in the real world. Natsuki considered saying something, but it was no use and he knew it. The only person who could truly get through to Masato when he was like this was Haruka, and she was completely absorbed in a book. Natsuki was too nice of a person to interrupt her. Instead he just smiled at Masa and returned to his own book, allowing his friend to go back to his musings.

 

The limo was quiet. Haruka and Natsuki sat at either end of the bench seat, each with a book in hand, and Masa was staring out the window from his place beside the door. Next to him in the other standard seat was Ren, who had headphones in, listening to music. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be asleep but for the absentminded tapping of his foot against the floor. At the front of the car, behind the driver, Cecil and Otoya played a distracted game of cards on the seat between them. Tokiya had opted to sit up front with the driver, lest he have to slide into one of the bench seats. He had recently managed to injure his leg yet again, and between limited mobility and his cranky attitude, he had plenty of reasons not to sit with everyone else.

 

Last but not least, Syo was stretched out on the bench seat, dozing with his head on Haruka’s lap and his feet in Natsuki’s, his eyes shielded by his hat. Oddly, Haruka did not seem the least bit disturbed by him. She simply made an effort not to wake him as she turned the pages of her book. After more time working (and living) closely with the group members, she had really mellowed out. Ren still flustered her like no tomorrow, but for the most part, she had become used to their familiarity with her. However, none of them doubted that Syo was probably the only one who could get away with having his head in her lap. In fact, Cecil and Ren had both seethed about this fact for half of the ride.

 

As the sun shone through the trees, flashing patterns through the windows, Cecil sighed loudly.

 

“Are we there yet?” he asked. When Ren and Masato both shot him glares, his clueless expression made it clear that he had no idea why asking was annoying. Haruka glanced up and saw the tension.

 

“W-we can’t be far,” she reasoned, trying to diffuse it. Cecil flopped back in his seat, every bit the child who didn’t like sitting still. He also wasn’t a fan of being inside, and at the moment he had to both sit still _and_ be inside. It wasn’t making him the most pleasant person to be with.

 

“Nah, we’re pretty close,” Otoya said with a grin. “I’ve been there before- well, outside it, I haven’t seen any of their shows or anything. But it’s not too far from here! Maybe ten minutes?”

 

“Make that two,” Tokiya corrected from the very front.

 

Haruka and Natsuki smiled at him. Quiet and even-tempered as they both were, everyone was tired of being in the car.

 

Tokiya’s warning did catch everyone’s attention. They began gathering up the snack wrappers and drink bottles that were scattered around the limo. Tokiya in particular got very annoyed when they left a mess everywhere they went. He was surprisingly down to earth for a practiced celebrity.

 

Grinning evilly, Ren reached across Natsuki and Haruka and grabbed the front of the sleeping Syo’s shirt, dumping him on the floor. The smaller man hit the floor with a loud _thump_ , and shot up, eyes darting around. “Wake up, Munchkin,” Ren said coolly. “We’re almost there.”

 

Syo’s eyes narrowed in on Ren. “You bastard,” he spat, shaking his fist at the confident strawberry blonde. “You can’t just wake me up like a normal person?”

 

Ren laughed, the dark, resonating laugh that he used when he was seducing women.

 

“Ah, but we are hardly normal, now are we? Unusual methods for unusual people,” he said, casually removing and wrapping up his headphones. Next to him, Masato rolled his eyes. He was used to Ren’s antics, but that didn’t mean he approved. In fact, he often told Ren how surprising it was that a person with his family and background didn’t act with more class. Usually this just resulted in extra teasing for the stoic Masa.

 

The limo came to a stop in front of a large, imposing building that had to be the Imperial Theater. Almost instantly, the limo’s inhabitants scrambled to get out in the open air. Tokiya, Masato, and Ren managed to exit with grace, but by the time it got to the remaining passengers, they were falling out of the car like puppies in a basket. Masa reached out and managed to catch Haruka’s hand, keeping her on her feet as the boys fell flat on their faces. She smiled at him.

 

“Thank you, Masato-senpai,” she said in her softspoken voice. He nodded politely and released her hand, allowing her to smooth out her rumpled clothes.

 

“So this is it?” Ren mused, staring up at the Imperial Theater. “Seems a bit old-fashioned.” Once again, Masato rolled his eyes.

 

“It’s a historical building, of course it looks old,” he said in a tone that indicated he was trying not to grit his teeth.

 

Otoya let out a loud whoop, thrusting his fist into the air. “We’re here!” he shouted joyfully.

 

“Volume, Otoya,” Tokiya said icily. “Not only are we in public, we are also here to be professionals. Hence we do not act like children.” Otoya laughed and threw an arm around  Tokiya’s shoulders.

 

“Aw, c’mon, Tokiya,” he coaxed. “Have a _little_ bit of fun for once?” Tokiya shook him off. “Unlikely,” he muttered darkly.

 

“Welcome to the Imperial Theater. You must be STARISH.”

 

The voice came from the doors to the building. In their distraction, the members of STARISH hadn’t noticed the tall woman who stood at the top of the steps. She wore a military uniform in olive green, and held herself with a regal air that almost made Ren want to whistle. However, he had a feeling that if he did, this woman would be far more than a match for him.

 

The woman smiled.

 

“I am Lieutenant Fujieda Ayame. Do come in.” It was phrased as a friendly suggestion, but there was a commanding hint to her voice.

 

Otoya and Haruka exchanged nervous glances, but they trudged up the grand front steps with everyone else. Lieutenant Fujieda opened one of the large wooden doors and ushered them inside. It was definitely a theater lobby, but it felt deserted during the day. That wasn’t the part that caught their attention, though.

 

There in the lobby stood the Flower Division. There were nine of them total, but Tokiya took notice of how they did not all stand together. At the forefront were five women and one man standing at military attention, of varying ages and appearances. Natsuki immediately found his gaze drawn to the absolutely adorable little girl in the ruffled dress, clutching a teddy bear close to her heart. If he hadn’t felt Syo’s sharp nails against his arm, he might have swept her into a hug right then.

 

Behind the little girl were two very tall older women, one blonde, one redhead. The bulky redhead looked like a beast, but it was the blonde next to her who really seemed like the intimidating one. Something in her eyes made nearly all of the boys shiver uncomfortably. Next to her was an elegantly dressed young woman with shoulder-length brown hair whose eyes radiated controlled disdain. She held a folded fan in one hand. Last were a pair of shorter girls, one in a pink and red kimono with long black hair, and one in a t-shirt and cargo pants sporting twin violet braids.

 

The tall raven-haired young man who stood next to this imperious group of women stepped forward. He raised his hand as if to salute, but caught himself halfway. He managed to play it off as a friendly wave.

 

“Ohgami Ichiro, at your service. I’m the captain of the Imperial Flower Division. Welcome to the Imperial Theater.” He turned and made eye contact with the tall blonde woman, who nodded.

 

She turned to the members of STARISH and introduced herself.

 

“Maria Tachibana, deputy captain.”

 

The redhead shot them all a thumbs-up.

 

“Kirishima Kanna,” she said.

 

The pink kimono girl smiled brightly.

 

“I am Shinguji Sakura!” she said, taking the little girl’s hand in hers. “And this is Iris Chateaubriand, and her friend Jean-Paul.” Iris shyly hid her face in Sakura’s dress.

 

The purple-haired girl waved energetically.

 

“Ri Kohran!” she said.

 

They all turned to look at the girl with spite in her eyes. She sighed dramatically and turned to STARISH.

 

“I’m-”

 

“Miss Sumire Kanzaki.”

 

Everyone’s attention immediately turned to the voice that had interrupted. Ren took a few steps forward. The girl narrowed her gaze on him and opened her fan, properly veiling her face with it.

 

“You know me?” she asked, her voice suspicious.

 

Impulsively, Ren reached out and took her free hand in his. He brushed his lips gently across her hand, in true Ren fashion.

 

“Forgive me, but I would be a complete idiot not to recognize a daughter of house Kanzaki,” he said smoothly.

 

Syo’s, Natsuki’s, and Otoya’s jaws hit the floor. Tokiya and Masato struggled to keep their composure. Ren was a shameless flirt and ladies’ man for sure, but this was almost a whole new level of ridiculous, even for him. Haruka covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her surprise.

 

Sumire regarded Ren with an unreadable gaze.

 

“So,” she said, her voice soft. Those who knew her would have said _deadly_ soft.

 

“The infamous Jinguji Ren. It seems that you are every bit the charmer everyone says you are.” She snapped her fan closed, a razorblade smile on her face. “Pity.”

 

As the rest of the room held their breath, Ren smirked and returned to his place.

 

“Infamous is in the eye of the beholder, Miss Kanzaki,” he commented lightly. He finished his statement with a characteristic flip of his hair. He was suddenly much more interested in this theater gig.

 

Lieutenant Fujieda cleared her throat, and looked at the last three women from the Imperial Theater. They stepped forward, releasing the tension in the room.

 

 These three were less militaristic than the others are first glance, but you couldn’t tell in their voices. The tallest of them wore a purple and green kimono, and introduced herself first.

 

“I am Fujii Kasumi, captain of the Wind Division,” she said with a polite traditional bow.

 

The small dirty blonde next to her waved.

 

“Sakakibara Yuri, Wind Division.”

 

Last was the third girl in a short kimono, who raised a hand nervously.

 

“Takamura Tsubaki. Wind Division.”

 

With the introductions on their side concluded, all of the Flower and Wind Divisions looked at the lieutenant.

 

Before the rest of them could do anything, Tokiya stepped forward.

 

“I am Ichinose Tokiya. These are the rest of my colleagues, STARISH.” He indicated Otoya, who grinned and waved with all of the enthusiasm of a ten-year-old.

 

“Ittoki Otoya. Nice to meet you!” he said.

 

Syo flashed a peace sign.

 

“Kurusu Syo.”

 

Natsuki smiled and waved.

 

“Shinomiya Natsuki. You can call me Na-chan.” He was never one for formalities.

 

Masato nodded politely.

 

“Hijirikawa Masato.”

 

Their gazes all turned to Cecil, who was more interested in a fraying thread on his shirt than the introductions. Syo got his attention with an elbow to the ribs, and Cecil shot him a quick glare before introducing himself.

 

“I am Cecil Aijima,” he said. He opened his mouth to tell them all about being a prince from a musical kingdom, but Syo elbowed him again. No need to be overly familiar right away. Besides, who needed to know anything about him beyond his membership in STARISH?

 

Haruka nervously bowed.

 

“I-I am Nanami Haruka,” she stammered, quiet as a mouse.

 

“I don’t understand,” said Sakura, her head cocked to the side in confusion. “I thought all of the members of STARISH were men?”

 

Otoya grinned and threw his arm around Haruka’s shoulders.

 

“Haruka-chan is our composer,” he explained. “Without her, STARISH wouldn’t exist.”

 

The others all nodded serenely. Subconsciously, they each leaned in just a bit closer to her. Syo and Tokiya also shifted forward, and Syo crossed her arms loosely over his chest. 

 

Sumire raised her eyebrows, intrigued by how quickly they had all silently proclaimed their loyalty to Haruka. There was just something in their expressions...just by looking at them, you could tell that any of these young men would throw themselves under a train for her.

 

“And you’ve already met Jinguji,” Toikya said, nodding at Ren. “It will be our pleasure to work with you on this production.”

 

Lieutenant Fujieda smiled.

 

“It is nice to meet all of you,” she said. “We are glad to have you here. Now, I believe all of you have been briefed on what we’re doing here, but allow me to make some elaborations.”

 

She reached out a hand and indicated the three girls of the Wind Division.

 

“First, the Flower Division will be your co-stars, but the Wind Division is in charge of all backstage and managerial support. If you need anything, ask them first,” she said. Kasumi, Yuri, and Tsubaki all smiled and nodded.

 

Ayame moved to point at Ohgami.

 

“As you know, in addition to their stage work, the Flower Division also functions as the Imperial Flower Combat Troupe. Captain Ohgami is in charge of military operations, under Commander Yoneda and myself. He will not be primarily involved with the production, but has offered to be on hand if anything is needed. If you need to reach higher command, talk to him.”

 

Otoya blinked. He didn’t know that the Flower Division were also combat trained. These women were getting more and more interesting by the minute.

 

“The Flower and Wind Divisions are housed here in the theater,” Ayame continued,

“-and arrangements have been made for STARISH and our visiting musical ensemble to reside here for the course of the production. As we have limited space, the Wind Division will be temporarily moving in with the Flower Division. Kasumi will share a room with Sakura, Yuri with Iris, and Tsubaki with Kanna. STARISH will share two to a room in the Wind Division suite, and the odd man out will share with Captain Ohgami. Can everyone work with that?”

 

Everyone nodded. Ayame has designed the room selection to work around some of the more difficult issues, such as Sumire’s and Maria’s love of privacy. However, she had not accounted for STARISH to come with another woman. Fortunately, she had one last person to work with.

 

“We were not expecting you, Miss Nanami, but we’re more than happy to make arrangements,” Ayame added kindly. “Kohran? Will you share your room with Miss Nanami?”

 

Kohran grinned widely. “Of course, ma’am!” she said. “We’ll be just fine.”

 

Ayame nodded. “Good. Now that we’ve got that covered, I think it’s time to let everyone get settled. Flower Division, go ahead and make sure your rooms are fit for company. Wind Division, if you would show the members of STARISH to the Wind Suite? Then we’ll have Kasumi pass out the scripts. Dinner is served at seven o’clock, followed by a short production meeting. Are there any questions?”

 

When no one answered, Ayame smiled.

 

“Once again, welcome to the Imperial Theater.” She turned and left through another door, headed for Commander Yoneda’s office.

 

When Ayame had disappeared, Yuri stepped forward.

 

“If you’ll follow me?” she said politely. The boys of STARISH shuffled out past her, followed by Tsubaki and Kasumi.

 

Kohran skipped forward and caught Haruka by the arm.

 

“You can come with me!” she said brightly, causing Haruka to shift her gaze nervously. She had half a smile on her face, but things were just moving so quickly that it was hard to keep up. However, she couldn’t let anything stop her!

 

“Yes of course,” she said, smiling sweetly. Together, she and Kohran led the way from the lobby toward the Flower Division’s suite of rooms.


	2. Bullies and Rivals

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 2: Bullies and Rivals

 

 

When Sakura and Iris arrived at dinner, she was pleased to see that the Flower Division had not completely alienated their guests. Granted, Maria and Sumire were sitting by themselves in silence, but that was relatively predictable. At the table next to them, Kohran entertained Haruka and Otoya. She waved at Sakura.

 

“Sakura! Iris!” she called. “Come sit with us!”

 

The two went and sat at the table, grins on their faces.

 

“Nice to see you again, Ittoki-senpai, Nanami-senpai,” Sakura said.

 

Otoya laughed.

 

“Please, call me Otoya,” he said smiling back at them. These two seemed like the kind of sweet and cheerful people Otoya just knew would be excellent friends with him.

 

“Well then you can just call me Sakura!” Sakura replied. “And Iris always goes by her first name.” Iris nodded.

 

“I’m so glad we can all be friends,” Sakura added. “How are you liking the theater so far?”

 

“This place is great!” Otoya said, practically jumping out of his chair in excitement. He had spent the afternoon exploring and had found not only the stage, but also the combat training rooms and Koubu hangar. “Kohran-chan was just explaining about your spirit armor. Yours is the pink one, right?”

 

Sakura nodded.

 

“Yes, she said. “Mine is pink, and Kohran’s is green. Iris has one that is yellow, right Iris?”

 

Haruka’s eyes widened. “You- you take this little girl into combat?” she said breathlessly. Otoya, too, looked concerned. Kohran just burst out laughing.

 

“Don’t you worry about Iris,” Sakura said kindly. “She has enough spirit energy to send the rest of us reeling.” Haruka and Otoya exchanged doubtful glances, but they did not argue. After all, you couldn’t judge a book by its cover. Perhaps Iris had a hidden side to her personality, as Natsuki did (although hopefully less violent).

 

Suddenly Otoya stood up.

 

“Syo-chan! Na-chan! Over here!” Next thing they knew, Syo and Natsuki were sliding into chairs next to them. Their conversation extended even more when Captain Ohgami and Cecil arrived.

 

 

“They really are as ridiculous an act as I’ve ever seen,” Sumire commented over her rice as the laughter at the next table echoed through the hall. Maria raised her brows.

 

“I would think you would be interested to work with them,” she said calmly. “Did you not say that those two- Hijirikawa and Jinguji –did you not say they were famous?”

 

“Just because they’re famous doesn’t mean they’re worthy of my stage,” Sumire snapped. “I-”

 

“Ah. My lady, deputy captain.”

 

That smooth, deep voice was unmistakable. Jinguji Ren slid into a seat across from Sumire, next to Maria.

 

“It is always such a pleasure to be working with such lovely ladies,” he said with a smile.

 

Maria reminded herself not to glare at him. He was frivolous, but he wasn’t worth her concern, really.

 

Across from Ren, Hijirikawa Masato practically materialized. He was a quiet walker.

 

“Miss Kanzaki?” he asked politely. “May I join you?”

 

The difference between him and Ren was obvious from the start. Sumire looked up and met his quiet eyes, the nodded.

 

“I suppose,” she said. He smiled and took the seat next to her.

 

As Maria and Masato intently focused on their food, it became clear that Ren’s only option for conversation was Sumire. Fortunately, that was fine with him.

 

“Miss Kanzaki, how have you enjoyed your tenure with the Flower Division?” he aked casually. She met his eyes squarely.

 

“It is obvious that they would be nothing without me,” she said, never one to soften her words. “If being useful and talented is considered enjoyment, then I have enjoyed it greatly.”

 

Her tone was chilly, but not actively hostile, which for Sumire meant that she was not at the top of her game.

 

Ren laughed.

 

“I see you’re perfectly well aware of your worth as a performer,” he said light-heartedly. “I truly cannot wait to see your work.”

 

In response, Sumire merely sniffed and tossed her head. Masato quickly took a bite of rice to stifle his urge to laugh. Ren had certainly met his match with this one.

 

“Hijirikawa-san, I hear you have worked onstage before,” said Maria suddenly, changing the topic. She heard enough about Sumire on a daily basis, and frankly, had no desire to continue hearing about her. Masato nodded and carefully cleared his throat.

 

“Yes, I have been in a few stage shows in recent months,” he answered. “Though none for as prestigious a company as the Flower Division.” He and Maria steered the conversation in the direction of Japan’s live theater scene, which eventually piqued Sumire’s interest.

 

Ren sat in silence, peering at Sumire from beneath lowered lashes. In her hair and her figure, she reminded him of Haruka. But her eyes....and that personality was no joke. He saw exactly why she was so at home in a crew of essentially eight women. The problem was, he didn’t know what to make of her. On the surface she was appealing, and very clearly he could get plenty of entertainment from her. He couldn’t help but wonder what lay bubbling under that fiery personality. He couldn’t read her to save his life.

 

At that moment, Maria asked a particularly challenging question pertaining to Masato’s family’s business, which rendered the dark-haired man momentarily speechless as he gathered his thoughts. Ren chuckled.

 

“Masato-san, can’t find an answer?” He turned to Maria, grinning. “You’ll have to forgive him, he often loses his focus when speaking to beautiful women. Alas, the gift of conversing easily with others is more my forte than his.”

 

Maria maintained her carefully controlled expression, and Masato did the same...though she noticed that he had lowered his head sufficiently that his hair hid his eyes from view. One glance showed that the chopsticks in his hand were in serious danger of being splintered.

 

“Your cross to bear, I imagine,” he said coolly. It was a credit to him as an actor, Maria thought, that he could answer such an insult with no change in his tone of voice. However, she could deduce that the next interaction Ren and Masato had alone would not be a pleasant one.

 

Calmly- almost too calmly –Masato stood.

 

“If you will excuse me, I am not feeling well,” he said. He nodded to the ladies, who returned his regard, and swiftly exited the main hall.

 

“Hey!” called Syo, catching the motion from the corner of his eye. Masato did not answer as he disappeared out the door. The entire table turned to stare at primarily Ren.

 

“Where’s he going?” Syo asked. “We’re supposed to stay for a production meeting, right?”

 

Most of the others looked confused when Ren did not answer. Maria and Tokiya, however, let their gazes burn into his skull. Maria had heard it, and Tokiya knew Ren well enough to guess what had happened. Very little would send Masato to his breaking point in such a public manner, and the only thing that had consistently managed to do so was the strawberry blonde currently finger-combing his hair in faux boredom.

 

“Apparently Masa is feeling ill,” Ren said simply. “Perhaps the long trip was too much for him.”

 

He yawned dramatically.

 

“We’ll just have to tell him about it later.”

 

Across the room, Tokiya let his annoyance become anger welling up in his heart. Generally, he liked Ren. The man was direct when it mattered, and he was one of the few who rarely acted in the childish manner that so irked Tokiya in the other members. However, he seemed completely blind to the fact that if it weren’t for STARISH, he would have one friend alone...and that friend was slowly falling away from him. At this rate, Ren was going to ruin everything by his own hand.

 

“Ichinose-san?”

 

He was torn from his reverie by Sakura’s soft voice.

 

“Are you worried for Hijirikawa-san?” she asked.

 

He paused for a moment, then nodded. There was no need to get everyone involved in Masato’s matters, especially when Tokiya could tell immediately that Masa would not appreciate it. He hated being pitied, and was nearly as prideful as Ren sometimes. He was simply quieter about it.

 

“Don’t worry!” chirped Iris. “Jean-Paul will take care of him.”

 

Sakura leaned over and squeezed Iris into a one-armed hug.

 

“That’s right,” she said, smiling at the teddy bear. “We’ll take him some of Kasumi’s feel-better tea after the meeting.”

 

Tokiya nodded, aware that it probably wouldn’t be too helpful. But Masa might appreciate the gesture.

 

The doors to the mess hall opened once more, admitting Lieutenant Fujieda and another woman, whom only the Flower Division recognized. She was a sturdily built, no-nonsense looking woman in a loose sweatshirt and yoga pants. Everyone put down their utensils, ready to hear whatever the lieutenant had to say.

 

“Good evening, everyone,” she said, her firm voice echoing through the hall. “Let us begin. Now, the Flower Division already knows our director, but for you members of STARISH, this is Mitsuki Roh. She will be directing your production of _The Sky Princess_.”

 

The other woman- Mitsuki-san –bowed, and the rest of the room inclined their heads in greeting.

 

“Shinguji Sakura and Ittoki Otoya will be playing the leads in this play.”

 

Sakura’s jaw dropped, but not as fast as Otoya’s.

 

“A-are you sure, Fujieda-san?” Otoya asked, his voice shaking. “I have- never acted on stage before...”

 

Stunned by the fact that someone could sound as nervous as she usually did, Sakura felt obligated to reach out. She placed her hand on his arm, and he tried to smile at her.

 

Ayame smiled as well. “Yes. I am confident that you will do well, Otoya-san,” she said kindly.

 

 Otoya took a deep breath, and nodded. He was not as confident as the lieutenant, but if she believed in him, then he had to perform.

 

Mitsuki-san read out the rest of the roles and gave them a brief synopsis of the show. It was based on an old Japanese legend about a kingdom condemned by the gods of Ice and Fire.

 

Maria and Kanna would play the gods, and Ren, the prince, would have to save his kingdom from divine wrath by winning the heart of the gods’ daughter, the Princess of the Sky. That was Sakura. Then there was Sumire, who was the Princess’ handmaiden, and the nymphs, played by Natsuki, Iris, and Cecil. Syo and Otoya would play the prince’s friends, the Masters of Swords and Fists.

 

In the end of the show, it was the Master of Swords who really won the Princess, which made him the lead. Masato would be the singing narrator. Tokiya elected not to participate, due to his injured leg, and had come to act as the Shining Agency representative in Ringo-san’s absence. He, Saotome, and Hyuga-san had better places to be, and Tokiya would be there anyway, so it was a perfect situation for them.

 

As the actors exchanged smiles and congratulations, Ayame resumed her place as discussion leader.

 

“We do have one small setback,” she said, causing everyone to go silent. “As there are so many performers for this production, and we are hosting two visiting performance groups, there will be too much work for the Wind Division alone. We are searching for additional support, but the other divisions are all under enough pressure as it is.”

 

Almost immediately, Tokiya was struck with a brilliant, evil, genius idea. He stood, an unusual sparkle in his eye.

 

“Lieutenant Fujieda, Madam Director- please allow us to help you in this matter,” his tone surprisingly smooth and debonair for the moody Tokiya. “You have provided such wonderful hospitality, it is the least we can do to assist you. In fact, we have the perfect support crew...”

 

Otoya and Syo looked at each other, then at the rest of their group. They were all completely confused. What on earth was Tokiya talking about?

 

“...who happen to owe us a favor.”

 

Syo’s eyes widened, and he and Otoya nearly burst out laughing. _Now_ they knew exactly what Tokiya meant, and boy was it perfect. Tokiya was a complete and utter genius. Though he kept his composure, it showed a bit on his face that he was really getting some joy out of this.

 

Ayame nodded sharply.

 

“If you will, Ichinose-san, come with me to the Commander’s office after the meeting and we can discuss it further.”

 

Tokiya resumed his seat, practically glowing with pride in his own brilliance.

 

The matter settled, the actors looked expectantly at the lieutenant.

 

“Your first script reading will begin tomorrow morning on the stage at nine o’clock,” Ayame said.

 

“Don’t get used to it,” added the director, Mistuki-san. “It won’t be every day you get to sleep that late.”

 

The members of STARISH graced each other with matching looks of dread. Few of them were accustomed to rising so early. Iris and Kohran joined them. Maria, Sumire, Kanna, and Sakura kept impassive faces, each of them used to rising at dawn for combat practice.

 

Smiling her evil smile, Ayame addressed them one last time.

 

“Get plenty of sleep tonight.” With that, and no real word of farewell, she gestured to Mitsuki, and the two of them exited the hall. With that, all hell broke loose.

 

“Congratulations, Otoya-san!” said Syo, laughing as he gave the larger young man a playful push on the shoulder. “Who knew you had a leading actor in you, eh?”

 

Otoya, in stark contrast to Syo’s upbeat excitement, looked like he was about to throw up. Natsuki reached over and put a hand on his arm. Otoya was forcibly reminded of the last hand on his arm. Sakura’s hand. Her warm, soft, kind hand....

 

“Don’t worry, Otoya-chan, you will be great!” Natsuki chirped. “You do so well on those comedy shows, right?”

 

“That _comedy_ , though,” Otoya said, shaking his head dejectedly. “I’m good at comedy. I’ve never done a serious drama before. And aren’t theater crowds supposed to be much more critical than our usual sort? I can’t perform like me in front of the real deal!”

 

He was sweating profusely at the thought, which was strange. Normally Otoya was such a lively, energetic person, it was hard to believe that even he got nervous sometimes.

 

He leaned forward and reached desperately down the table toward Tokiya.

 

“Tokyia. Help me,” he begged. “You play the lead.”

 

The entire table blanched in shock. Tokiya, however, answered with the cool confidence he always displayed.

 

“No,” he said simply. “Do it yourself. You’ve got the skills, what do you need me for?” Without waiting for an answer, he stood.

 

“If you’ll excuse me, I believe I have business with the Vice Commander.” He escaped out the door before they could manage anything crazy, like putting him in a dress again.

 

“It’s alright, Otoya-san,” came a timid voice from the next seat over. Sakura was trying her hardest to give him a confident smile, but it wasn’t really working.

 

“If it helps, I’m not that sure about my role either,” she confessed. “They should have made Sumire the princess.” She sighed, in what Otoya immediately labeled as ‘the most tragically beautiful sigh in history’.

 

“I suppose we’ll just have to both do our best!” she added. He cheeriness reminded him of Haruka, who was at the moment busy talking to Iris and her teddy bear.

 

The rest of the table’s occupants objected immediately to Sakura’s assessment of herself, assuming (correctly) that someone of such fame as she certainly deserved to be the leading lady now and then. Otoya just kept his smiles to himself. If she was willing to try, he would be too. That was only fair.

 

~*~

 

_Brrr.....brrr.....brrr....._

_“Hello?.....Eiichi, it’s late.....Have you never heard of beauty sleep?......”_

_“...WHAT?”_

_“Absolutely not. We’re not doing it.”_

_“I will resign right now. I really will.”_

_“You....are the worst person in existence. Real blight on humanity.”_

_“I will tell the President exactly where he can stick his- NO, this does not count as vengeance!”_

_“Deal. If you can get Kira in. But he’ll never agree.”_

_“What do you MEAN, WE OWE THEM A FAVOR?!”_

 

~*~

When the limo pulled up in front of the Imperial Theater, the Sakura and Kohran found themselves with their faces pressed to the window. STARISH was already here, and the musical ensemble wouldn’t arrive fro two more days, so who on earth could this be?

 

“Must be that help they were talking about,” Kohran guessed. “Though I don’t know what kind of backstage help shows up in their own limo.”

 

Excited, Sakura squeaked and tore off down the hallway, leaving Kohran to hurriedly catch up as best she could.

 

~*~

 

“It looks like a museum. What kind of performance space is this?”

 

Not only was Nagi not a fan of his rivals, he was also just an unpleasant little shit. Therefore, having not even set foot inside the doors, he had already decided that his time at the Imperial Theater was going to be the worst of his life. It was an indisputable fact.

 

“It’s a theater,” grumbled Kira, stepping up behind the smaller young man. “Not an arena.”

 

It was one of the longer sentences Kira had managed that day. He wasn’t especially talkative. This made it twice as hard to discern why exactly he had agreed to this job in the first place. Nagi felt it to be an absolute outrage, but Eiichi had his suspicions. Kira was easily the smartest of them, due to his acute powers of observation. It was likely he had something up his sleeve.

 

“Well don’t just stand there like idiots,” came a scathing voice from the steps. “Get in here. We’ve got work to do.”

 

Leaning against one of the stone pillars at the top of the steps was Syo, with the world’s most obnoxious smirk on his face. This was his dream, to see his rivals prostate before him, helpless to do anything but his bidding. Or at least, that’s how he saw it in his head.

 

“Kurusu,” said Eiichi coolly, ascending the steps. “I’d say it’s good to see you again, but I’m not in the habit of telling falsehoods.”

 

“Otori,” Syo responded in kind. Without another word, he turned on his heel, shoved his hands in his pockets, and disappeared through the front door. The members of HEAVENS exchanged disgruntled looks, then followed.

 

Inside the lobby were only the Wind Division and Syo. The Flower Division and the rest of STARISH were busy in rehearsal, but Syo had been dispatched to greet their ‘guests’ because he would not be needed until after lunch. Actually, it had come down to either himself or Natsuki, and Syo had lost the coin toss.

 

“So how much did Raging tell you about all this?” Syo asked, his tone bored and uninterested.

 

Eiichi looked like he couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted to punch Syo in the face himself or just wind up Nagi and let him go to save effort.

 

“There was something about working backstage, which is honestly a ridiculous idea,” he groused. “But according to the studio...”

 

He grit his teeth and shut his eyes, wishing he didn’t have to say it.

 

_“We owe you one.”_

 

Syo smirked.

 

“That’s about right.” He indicated the ladies of the Wind Division.

 

“This is Fujii-san, Sakakibara-san, and Takamura-san. They will be supervising.”

 

Syo made an effort to make the girls seem as superior as possible, though that was somewhat harder to do with Tsubaki’s arms wrapped almost protectively around herself. She seemed like she could be as nervous as Sakura sometimes. Yuri was more interested in her nails at that moment. Only Kasumi met Eiichi’s eyes squarely. She was the most well-equipped to deal with these egomaniacs.

 

“Welcome to the Imperial Theater,” she said smoothly, making Syo wonder if by any chance she was related to the Vice Commander. “You’ll be working closely with us to ensure that STARISH and the Flower Division have everything they need for the production. You will also be prepared to handle any requests from our visiting musical ensemble. Our sets and costumes are created by professionals, but we handle all of the props and lobby work. We sell and take tickets, usher, and work in any customer relations in addition to our work for the Flower Division. I have been assured that as professionals in the industry, these tasks will not be a problem for you.”

 

She said it with such certainty that it rendered even the ever-talkative Nagi speechless. He hadn’t been expecting a lecture from a girl.

 

Syo sauntered forward, coming face-to-face with Eiichi.

 

“Oh, they’ll be fine,” he said over his shoulder. Not worrying about whether or not the girls were watching (which they were), Syo reached out and grasped Eiichi’s shoulder. With strength that one wouldn’t have anticipated from someone his size, he forced the taller man down to his eye level. Syo’s normally bright blue eyes were now deadly serious.

 

“None of your tricks, Otori,” he muttered softly, his adversary’s face an inch from his. He didn’t want the ladies to hear what he said. It was better that they not know what to expect from these idiots. While it was nice to have the opportunity to embarrass his enemies, he had no interest in watching Tsubaki shudder at the sight of them the way Haruka did.

 

“Tricks?” Eiichi’s tone was light, almost amused at the current situation. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

That was so typical of him, Syo had really expected it. But that didn’t stop him from saying what needed to be said. He let the egotistical popstar go, casually adjusting his wrist band.

 

“Oh good. I thought not. Let’s keep it that way. After all, these ladies are much different than the sort I’m sure you’re used to.” His eyes glinted maliciously. He raised his voice back to normal volume. “I leave you in the capable hands of the Wind Division.”

 

He turned and disappeared through the doors that led to the auditorium, intent on rejoining the rehearsal.

 

Eiichi chuckled and tossed his hair out of his face.

 

“He’s as charming as ever,” he said, crossing to speak to Kasumi. She eyed him, torn between professional calm and suspicion.

 

“Well then,” he said. “Where do we start?”


	3. Princes and Maidens

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 3: Princes and Maidens

 

 

“Wait, what’s going on?”

“Why did she stop?”

“I-I’m so sorry, Madam Director!”

“That’s alright, Sakura, let’s just take it from the top one more time...”

“Again?”

 

It was only eleven-thirty in the morning, but most of the actors were already fading fast. They had made remarkably little progress in two and a half hours. Sure, it was an on-script rehearsal, but for seasoned actors like the Flower Division, it really should have been going more smoothly. Sumire, in particular, was extremely irritable.

 

“Really, Madam Director, I can’t work with this,” she huffed, flipping her hair in all of her diva majesty. “If she can’t play her part even in an on-script rehearsal, then I have no confidence in her ability to perform when it really counts.”

 

There was an audible intake of breath from most of the STARISH boys. They couldn’t believe that the famed Sumire Kanzaki could be so....cold...to one of her own company. Even more surprising, Ren noted, was how calm and collected her costars were. Neither Maria nor Kanna made even the slightest change in expression. Even Sakura, with her head bowed in shame, didn’t seem overly surprised by Sumire’s commentary. Ren could only deduce that this was not an uncommon scenario.  How.....interesting.

 

Otoya couldn’t help but clench his fist.

 

“It’s alright, Madam Director, we can do it one more time,” he tried, but Sakura’s head shot up.

 

“Oh, no, I couldn’t hold up the rehearsal any longer!” she insisted, eyes wide. She seemed almost terrified of Sumire’s retribution. It reminded him forcibly of Haruka when faced with any criticism from Ringo-sensei or Shining Saotome. Her immediate response was to back down, or to avoid any conflict that might cause those around her distress. It was silly, in an admirable sort of way.

 

“One last try, and then we’ll move on,” conceded Mitsuki-san, and clapped her hands. The actors returned to their places, and prepared to try the scene once more.

 

“Your efforts have failed, mighty prince!” Maria declared as the Goddess of Ice. “You come to us without the heart of the Princess, a mere handmaiden in her place!”

 

“Your champion has fallen before my power,” Kanna added. She played the dramatic God of Fire, who had just bested the Master of Fists (Syo) in trial by combat. “Now behold as your kingdom is destroyed before your very eyes!”

 

“Please wait!”

 

Sakura’s high voice piped up. Sumire shook her head in disgust. Her voice should have rung out like a bell, confident and beautiful. Instead, Sakura sounded like a frightened little girl begging for the ice cream truck to stop.

 

“Wait,” Sakura said again. She crossed to Otoya, flanked by her nymphs friends, and nervously took his hand. Their palms were both streaked with sweat, and Sakura’s nerves kept her from speaking clearly.

 

“I-I apologize for the misunderstanding, mother, father,” she said, trying to look at Maria and Kanna rather than Otoya. If she looked at him, she just knew she would freeze for good.

 

“But it is as the prince said. My heart has- has been claimed, as you asked. Please spare them from de- struction.” She stammered, but she got the line out. That was an improvement over the first try, in which she had nearly fainted at having to hold Otoya’s hand.

 

Maria met Sakura’s eyes, torn between accurately portraying her cold-hearted character and giving her friend a warmer look. She settled for a neutral gaze.

 

“Is this true, my daughter? Has the prince earned your love?” she asked.

 

Sakura shook her head.

 

“It would be cruel and foolish of me to claim the love of the prince, when his heart so clearly belongs to another,” she said, gesturing to Ren, with Sumire cradled in his arms. “But even so, this kingdom does not deserve your wrath, f-for the one I love is in it.”

 

She braced herself. This was it. She turned to look at Otoya, but couldn’t will herself to meet his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she couldn’t make the next lines come out. She tried to speak, but her mouth was so dry....

 

“She obviously can’t do it, director,” Sumire snapped. “There’s no use waiting on her.”

 

Surprisingly, it was Masato who spoke up.

 

“Really, Miss Kanzaki, it is only the first day. You might show a little more patience.”

 

He said it quietly, but everyone on the stage heard him. Sumire shot him a disgusted look, but it was the director who finally cut her rant short.

 

“Alright, everyone, let’s just move on to the next scene,” Mitsuki-san said firmly.

 

Unfortunate though it was, she was used to this scenario. The boys seemed so surprised, but it was only because they had just met everyone. Sooner or later, they would get used to it as well. Everyone always did. That was just how things worked around Sumire.

 

~*~

 

“Miss Shinguji?”

 

That quiet voice made Sakura pause. She turned to see who the unrecognized voice belonged to, and found herself face to face with the last person she had expected to see.

 

“Oh, Hijirikawa-san! Are you feeling any better?” she asked, her voice light. It was as if the somewhat abusive rehearsal of moments before had never happened.

 

Masa smiled, his pale features more expressive than most would ever see them.

 

“Yes, thank you,” he said sincerely. “Though I noticed that rehearsal really did not go very well for you.”

 

Sakura sighed, unable to deny it.

 

“I am so sorry, Hijirikawa-san. I am not used to acting with....so many people,” she said, her voice thick with shame. Masa couldn’t help but wonder if that was really the problem. Sakura seemed the type to do whatever it took to avoid distressing others.

 

He smiled, which surprised her.

 

“You misunderstand, Miss Shinguji,” he said quietly, meeting her brown eyes with his muted blue ones. “I only ask to see if may help you in any way. I have heard...many good things about your performances, it seemed odd that you would suddenly have so much trouble with a simple reading.”

 

A sharp intake of breath from his companion told him that Sakura had not expected such kindness. It was as if she had expected him to berate her for her lack of talent, the way Sumire did. Masa had no intention of doing so. She certainly had talent, he did not believe otherwise. It seemed to him that this poor young woman simply suffered from the shadow of another prominent actress.

 

“I don’t know what to tell you, Hijirikawa-san,” Sakura confessed. “I have never been as confident in my acting as Sumire, but it has been a long time since I was this nervous. I suppose it’s different, working with Ittoki-san.” Masa’s eyes widened. Ah, so that was the problem. Did something about Otoya make Sakura nervous?

 

Come to think of it....

 

“Miss Shinguji, have you ever acted opposite a man before?” he asked, trying to remain collected and not let her know how incredulous he found it. In the back of his mind, Masa felt that it was ironic, he of all people being surprised by the situation. He himself had trouble acting with women on stage at first, but he had always known that he was the minority. It wasn’t considered a _common_ problem. But if Sakura was simply nervous at acting with Otoya because he was male...

 

Sakura shook her head miserably.

 

“No, I haven’t. We have men in our plays, of course, but they are usually played by either Maria or Kanna. Sometimes Kohran. But our company is entirely women.” She wrapped her arms around herself, gripping at her elbows as though forming a protective cage in her mind.

 

“It is different, working with someone you don’t know, and having to pretend that you love them.” Sakura’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Maria and Kanna and I, we are like more than family. We protect each other, we fight with each other. We live with each other. It isn’t so hard with them. I don’t want to upset Ittoki-san, but I just...”

 

She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. She looked like she was about to cry. Hesitantly, Masato reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. He hoped it was a comforting hand.

 

“If it helps, Miss Shinguji, I have confidence in you,” he said sagely. His smile was serene, but sincere. The corners of Sakura’s mouth twitched, and she tried to put a wavering smile on her face.

 

“Someone once told me,” Masa said quietly, “-that an actor shares a dream with the audience. It is like a street that runs both ways.” He didn’t really know how else to phrase it. Masa didn’t feel he had the presence to make his words resonate in the soul, but that was the important part. It was like he was giving half of a message.

 

He was lucky, then, that Sakura knew the other half already. Her eyes brightened immediately.

 

“That’s like what Commander Yoneda says,” she said. “That’s why the Flower Division are actresses in the first place, you know. The stage gives us the spirit strength we need to stay unified and effective in combat. Our shows are really more for us than they are for the audience.”

 

Masato’s brow furrowed, contemplating her words. He understood it, to a point. It was just like how the members of STARISH each did individual work in addition to their concerts. Each member’s own skills added to the group as a whole, but it was more important that each performer grow on their own. Each member needed to do something for themselves, to strengthen them alone, so they could always stand on their own two feet when necessary. Masa was a stage actor, Syo a screen actor, Ren a model, Otoya a comedian. They used these outlets to build their individual strength, which made the group all the more powerful.

 

What must it be like, he wondered, to have only the stage? Alone, Sakura might have been able to use the stage to grow as a person, but with no way to get away from Sumire and her condescension, it could just as easily hinder that growth. For Masa, the stage was his freedom. For Sakura, it seemed to be just one more place where she had to fight to shine.

 

The more he thought about it, the more Masa sympathized with the young woman in front of him. She had to have incredible strength, to put up with such odds every day of her life. What’s more, she usually did so with a smile on her face.

 

Lost in thought, Masato did not notice that the two of them weren’t alone until he felt a strong and sickeningly familiar hand on his shoulder.

 

“Why the serious face, Masa?” Ren drawled, his edgy smile firmly in place. “If you don’t lighten up, people might think you’re bullying our little cherry blossom here.” He laughed darkly, causing Masa’s face to contort briefly in rage. Years of practice had his mask of calm back in place in a splitsecond.

 

“With you and HEAVENS here, I find it hard to believe anyone would peg me as the resident bully,” he said coldly. He nodded politely to Sakura, who seemed completely befuddled by Ren’s appearance and Masa’s sudden change of character.

 

“Miss Shinguji. Perhaps we can continue our conversation another time. If you’ll excuse me.” He extracted his shoulder from Ren’s grip, and strode off down the hallway toward their room.

 

Left behind were Ren and Sakura, each with a confused expression. Sakura almost couldn’t believe that the kindhearted young man who had offered to help her with her nerves could become so cold, so quickly. One moment they were having a lovely conversation, the next...

 

“Well that was unnecessary,” Ren commented lightly. His shadowed eyes, however, gave away his concern. Despite his inability to use his mind before his mouth, Ren was worried for his friend. Something had been really bothering Masato lately, and it was so apparent that even complete strangers could see it. Usually the stoic bluenette kept his emotions so under control that people doubted he even had feelings. To see him with his heart on his sleeve like this was frankly disturbing.

 

“I hope that cold fish hasn’t upset you, Miss Shinguji,” Ren added. “A lovely blossom like yourself is best suited to smiles.” He stepped forward, placing his fingers under her chin. Sakura froze, unsure of what to do. Her heart was beating a thousand miles per hour, and she didn’t know if that was a good thing.

 

“Please, smile,” he requested softly. Sakura gasped and stepped away from him.

 

“I really think- I must be going, I have to work on my lines.” She gulped, bowed to Ren, and fled.

 

As Ren stared blankly after her, a dark shadow peeled itself away from the wall, having seen all it needed to.

 

As Ren tried to shake it off, he found himself under attack yet again. Her chilly voice echoed in his ears like his brother’s often did.

 

“That went well.”

 

He turned to see Sumire Kanzaki, leaning against the wall with a _naginata_ in her hand. Ren knew what it was by sight, but it was a little-used weapon. For close combat, most warriors preferred the sword or katana. For distance, firearms had taken precedent. The _naginata_ had fallen between the cracks, and was more of a relic than a practical weapon these days. Of course, the one in Sumire’s hand looked not only well-used, but well-kept. It gleamed brightly, and that edge looked like it would cut even a single hair it was so sharp. Sumire held it the way she would a mop or broom, completely comfortably. As if it didn’t have a deadly blade on one end at all.

 

Ren sighed and put a hand to his temple, wondering why he suddenly felt the beginnings of a headache.

 

“I don’t expect a lovely person like you to understand the difficulties of having to put effort into being charming,” he said dryly. “Was there something you needed, Miss Kanzaki?”

 

Sumire chuckled to herself, and shook her head.

 

“No, no,” she said loftily. “Please, go on fumbling about and sending women running. It’s amusing.”

 

Ren groaned.

 

“Must you kick a man when he’s down, lady?” he asked. The pounding in his head was getting worse by the moment. When she raised her brow at him, he sighed.

 

“Never mind.  Go on, tell me just how deplorable I am. We both know that picking on my poor heart will bring you happiness. I could wish for nothing else.”

 

Sumire paused...then laughed. Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

 

“I wouldn’t do it if you didn’t make it so entertaining,” she commented. “Besides, how many women can truly say they’ve tamed a Jinguji?” She laughed again, bringing an surprised smile to Ren’s face.

 

“Tamed? I hardly think so,” he retorted. “It will take a bit more than a few scathing remarks to tame me.” He approached her the same way he had Sakura, but Sumire had the disadvantage of a wall to her back. Her smiled became a scowl as he braced his hands on the wall to either side of her. He leaned in close, so that he could whisper in her ear.

 

_“But you are welcome to try.”_

 

~*~

 

The Imperial Theater was huge, which meant that there were numerous things for Haruka to do while she waited for the rehearsal to end. However, as always, she chose to remain beside them and watch the rehearsal. Most of it went well, but Haruka’s heart went out to the poor girl playing the lead with Otoya. Sakura was trying so very hard, Haruka could see it in her eyes, but that Sumire just kept berating her. She bit her lip, wondering what it would be like if Tomochika ever did that to her.

 

Imagining it, Haruka realized that if she were ever bullied about her compositions, she had the seven members of STARISH to stand up for her. They always did. They were like more than family to her, and they never stood for anyone treating Haruka ill, not even Shining Saotome. Feeling faint, Haruka realized that Sakura didn’t have a family like that on the stage with her. What she had was competition. Outside of rehearsal, the women of the Flower Division seemed very close-knit, but no one had spoken up for her on stage today but Masato. Some of them, Haruka noted, had even looked _bored_. It made her want to cry, thinking that poor Sakura should have to endure such treatment every day.

 

These thoughts were still running through her head when Haruka headed to the great hall for lunch, a few minutes late. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice Tsubaki carrying a tea tray into her path. The two of them squeaked and collided. Haruka fell back and tried to catch herself, but her ankle twisted beneath her. Instantly her eyes filled with tears as a pair of strong arms caught her. Haruka looked around, dazed, wondering who was holding her up.

 

“Are you alright?” Captain Ohgami asked kindly, returning Haruka to her feet. She smiled and opened her mouth to answer, but her ankle refused to take her weight and sent her crashing into Ohgami again. He laughed, moving so that she could lean on him.

 

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” he said, chuckling. “Did you hurt your ankle?”

 

Haruka’s face went bright red. She looked at the ground, at the wall, anywhere but at Ohgami’s face. The members of STARISH were all on their feet, watching her with concern.

 

“Y-yes,” she sputtered, trying again to stand up. It was no use, she discovered painfully. She wasn’t walking on that ankle anytime soon, and that meant she was stuck in the arms of a man she did not really know. It was so embarrassing, she thought she might well faint right there.

 

“Tsubaki?”

 

Yuri’s voice was anxious as she questioned her friend. Haruka and Ohgami turned, remembering that Haruka was not the only one involved in the collision. Haruka gasped at what she saw. Not only was Tsubaki standing upright, but the tea tray was completely intact, supported with one hand by....

 

“That was close,” Otori Eiichi said coolly, returning the tray to its owner.

 

Tsubaki stared at him, as did the whole room. How on earth had he managed to catch the tray that quickly? It was either innate skill, divine favor, or the dumbest of luck. Nagi stood next to him, one arm outstretched. Everything in their body language said that he had been the one to catch the falling Tsubaki.

 

Instantly glares shot around the room. Syo, Masato, and Cecil glared at Ohgami, who still stood with Haruka leaning on his shoulder, one arm around her waist. Ren, Tokiya, and Otoya directed their glares at Eiichi, whose suspicious composure they very much resented. Natsuki stared at Nagi, his head cocked to the side in what looked like confusion. While Nagi seemed disconcerted by Natsuki’s gaze, Natsuki himself was oblivious as usual.

 

“Good catch, Eiichi,” Nagi said, tearing himself away from the stare of Natsuki to congratulate his bandmate. Eiichi simply tossed his hair.

 

“But of course,” he said, with a sickeningly smooth tone that had half the room stealing sidelong glances at Ren. Jinguji, it seemed, had a rival for the role of “smooth talking debonair gentleman”.

 

Unable to say anything about the HEAVENS crew (they were being...nice...after all), Syo grudgingly moved on.

 

“Are you okay, Haruka?” he asked. “Do you want someone to help you upstairs?”

 

Instantly all six of his fellow bandmates moved to offer their services, but Haruka shook her head.

 

“No, I-I’d like to eat lunch here first,” she said, reminding them all why they were there at all.

 

“Of course you do!” came a loud voice from the kitchen before anyone could respond. Kanna appeared, smashing her way through the swinging door, fully loaded down with full plates of what looked like fried fish.

 

 “C’mon everybody, grab a seat and let’s get this party started!” She grinned as a bright pink bow peeked around her legs. Iris was smiling too, her teddy bear clutched in one hand as always.

 

“Oh goody!” Sakura said, clapping her hands in delight. “Kanna and Iris made lunch for us!”

 

Kanna shot her a thumbs-up.

 

“Now I don’t have time to do this every day,” she said, her voice booming, “-but when I do, you boys’ll be eating like kings! Go on, get to it!”

 

Iris and Kasumi helped hand out the plates while Tsubaki and Yuri poured tea for everyone. Ohgami and Syo deposited Haruka in a chair so she could eat. Eventually, Natsuki joined them, as did Kanna and Iris.

 

“Kanna, this is amazing,” Ohgami said through a mouthful of food. Haruka covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Watching Ohgami stuff his face was much like watching Otoya when he found something he liked. They both acted like children in the presence of food.

 

Syo suspiciously tasted his food, but the way his eyes bugged out of his head told Haruka that he approved as well.

 

“You made this?” he exclaimed, nearly choking in his excitement. Kanna pounded him on the back (nearly sending the smaller guy’s face into his food) and grinned.

 

“Yup! I’m a chef in my spare time,” she said. “Iris and I cook together all the time, right Iris?”

 

The little girl smiled brightly and nodded.

 

“Kanna is a very good cook!” she said earnestly. “Jean-Paul loves Kanna’s food.”

 

Kanna laughed and ruffled the little girl’s hair.

 

“You know I couldn’t do it without my star assistant!” she said. Syo just stared at his plate, marveling in the taste. It had been a long time since he tasted anything this good.

 

“I think you broke him,” Cecil called from the next table over, snickering. Syo’s face went red.

 

“It’s called savoring!!!” he yelled back. “Or don’t they have good food where you come from? Jeez!” He huffed and sat back in his chair, stuffing another bite of fish into his mouth. His reaction sent Kanna into a fit of laughter. Syo glared at his food as he ate, and Haruka and Ohgami hid smiles.

 

“Well I guess I’m doin’ something right, if the great Kurusu Syo likes my food,” Kanna said matter-of-factly, making the hairs on the back of Syo’s neck stand up.

 

He sat up and met her eyes, his own strikingly bright blue orbs wide with interest.

 

“Did you just call me ‘great’?” he asked incredulously.

 

Kanna raised a brow, surprised.

 

“Uh, yeah,” she said, a bit off-kilter. “You were in _Prince of Fighting_. It was excellent.”

 

Ohgami noticed how calm and admiring Kanna sounded, as compared to her usual breaking-down-the-walls enthusiasm. He mentally applauded her. Toning it down a bit wasn’t something Kanna had ever done well, so this calm must have taken a while to perfect.

 

“Uh. Thanks.”

 

Syo’s voice was more dumbfounded than anything, but there was a twinkle in his eye that betrayed him. Haruka, remembering Syo’s ambition to have his own fan club, thought that this must be a dream come true for him.

 

“Do you do your own stunts?” Kanna asked, leaning back in her chair. Syo nodded, and the two of them spiraled off into a conversation about fight scenes and staging combat, leaving the other four to fend for themselves.

 

The others tried smalltalk for all of five minutes, but Ohgami figured out pretty quickly that Haruka was only going to speak to him in short, halting sentences that were always a direct answer to a question. He decided to try a different approach.

 

“Are you excited for the play, Iris?” he asked. The little blonde nodded.

 

“I get to dance,” she said in her soft, high voice. “There is a dance of the nymphs. Ballet.” Iris loved to dance, ballet was her favorite kind.

 

Ohgami turned to Natsuki.

 

“You’re a nymph too, right, Shinomiya-san?” he asked, and was greeted by an almost identical nod.

 

“I can’t wait for the dance either,” Natsuki said with dreamy eyes. “I’m a fantastic dancer. It will be splendid!”

 

A cough caught Ohgami’s attention, and he followed the sound to Syo, who was violently shaking his head pointedly at Natsuki and drawing his finger across his throat. Natsuki couldn’t dance ballet properly if his life depended on it. He liked gliding around and feeling pretty and graceful, but he didn’t realize just now non-graceful he really was. He just didn’t get that there was a lot of precision in ballet. Rules made things....complicated....for Natsuki.

 

Grinning, Ohgami turned back to their smallest companion, as Syo returned to answering Kanna’s questions about _Prince of Fighting_.

 

“I’m sure it will be great,” Ohgami said confidently. Haruka smiled and nodded as well.

 

“You will be lovely, Iris-chan!” she said enthusiastically.

 

“Will Jean-Paul dance with you?” Natsuki asked, his bespectacled eyes filled with curiosity. Haruka and Ohgami glanced at him, surprised, but Iris didn’t seem fazed one bit.

 

“No,” she answered with a smile. “Jean-Paul does not like the stage. He sits with Kasumi until the show is over. Iris dances alone.”

 

“That must be lonely,” Natsuki commented. Briefly his gaze settled on Syo, before dropping back to Iris. “To perform without your best friend.”

 

Iris just giggled and shook her head.

 

“But Iris performs with Sakura! So Jean-Paul understands,” she said.

 

Natsuki’s eyes glazed over, shining in excitement. Iris was just so _cute_ , he wanted to hug her and squeeze her and cuddle her like he did Elizabeth (his dog). His brain almost gave up working as he stared at the little girl, but the ever-cognizant Syo managed to lean over and smack him on the back of the head before he could decide to pounce on her.

 

“Syo-kuuuuun!” Natsuki whined. “That hurt!”

 

Syo just huffed and returned to his conversation, unfazed by Natsuki’s crocodile tears. This was so routine in almost hurt to think about.

 

From there, lunch was relatively cheery. After the meal was over, the cast had to return to rehearsal, but the crew were granted some free time. Haruka didn’t know what she was going to do. She very much wanted to watch the rehearsal, but Syo convinced her that it was really going to be quite boring, watching them do the exact same thing they had done that morning. Surely she had something better to do?

 

At the door to the great hall, Mitsuki-san called them all back to rehearsal. She had a no-nonsense voice that told them they’d best hurry up. Syo glanced at Haruka.

 

“Haruka, do you want to go to your room? Do you need help?” he asked anxiously.

 

Haruka shook her head. “I- I don’t know,” she said quietly.

 

_“Kurusu-san!”_

 

Syo snapped to attention.

 

“Yes, director, I’m coming!” he called. He looked around, a  bit panicked. He was going to get in trouble if he didn’t get going, but he couldn’t leave the injured Haruka here all by herself- or worse, with HEAVENS.

 

Someone tapped his shoulder.

 

Syo turned, and found himself staring at Captain Ohgami.

 

“Go ahead, I can help with anything she needs,” he offered with a smile. “With my combat team stuck in rehearsal, I don’t have much to do anyway.”

 

A quick glance at Haruka told Syo that it was okay. No matter how uneasy she felt getting to know new people, it was important that Syo be on time for the rehearsal. She nodded and smiled at him, which he returned, before dashing off to join his compatriots.

 

Ohgami turned to Haruka and smiled, offering her his arm as a proper gentleman should.

 

“So, Miss Nanami, what would you like to do?”


	4. Demons and Mentors

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 4: Demons and Mentors

 

Tsubaki’s face was bright red with rage. You could almost see the steam coming from her ears as poor Yuri coughed and sputtered on the floor. Her eyes filled with involuntary tears as she struggled for breath through the hacking coughs. The tearoom was deadly quiet, but for Yuri, as the two remaining members of the Wind Division used their exceptional glaring powers on the egomaniacs they’d been stuck with.

 

“What did you _do?”_ Tsubaki hissed, pointing at the teacup that lay on the carpet where Yuri had dropped it. Nagi and Eiichi met her eyes with innocent looks, regretting nothing, and fully aware that it would take more than a harmless prank to end this little charade.

 

Kasumi bent down and picked up the discarded cup, sniffing it.

 

“Pepper,” she declared. “And some other interesting spices, from the smell.” She directed her burning gaze at Eiichi. He didn’t even flinch, his calm and concerned expression stayed firmly in place. Nagi, however, couldn’t keep the slight joy he felt from leaking into his expression as he observed poor Yuri. She had just barely managed to stop coughing, but when she met his eyes, she couldn’t help but gasp.

 

“Demon child,” she whispered vengefully. Tsubaki looked like she was ready to put both of them through the roof, but Kasumi held out a hand to stop any further commentary.

 

“As it so happens, we’ve met demon children before,” she said coolly, “And unfortunately, they tend to be a bit more sinister than putting pepper in the tea.” She calmly collected the tea tray and its contents, then headed for the kitchen without another word.

 

As soon as Kasumi disappeared, Eiichi and Nagi resumed their places proofreading programs, as if nothing had happened.

 

~*~

 

Masa knew it could only be one person the moment he heard the knock at his door.

 

“Come in,” he called, and was not entirely unhappy to see Otoya’s flaming red hair as he poked his head in.

 

What warm feelings he had evaporated the minute he heard Otoya’s whine.

 

“Masaaaaaa....”

 

“No.”

 

Otoya blinked.

 

“I didn’t even ask yet!”

 

Masato sighed, and closed the book he had been reading.

 

“You want to know one of two things, Otoya,” he said calmly. “You either want to help Miss Shinguji become more comfortable onstage, or you want help with your own acting. If the first, there is simply nothing you can do. It is her problem, let her solve it herself. If the second, I am busy.”

 

Exasperated, Otoya fell dramatically to the floor as if his life were ending.

 

“You never do anything I ask,” he whined pathetically, causing Masa to raise his brow in response.

 

“I was unaware that it was responsibility to do so,” he commented, returning to his book as the door opened to admit a third person. Masa suddenly became very, very involved in his book, knowing that only one person would enter here besides himself unannounced.

 

Ren never broke stride as he stepped calmly over Otoya, crossing to his own ‘side’ of the room.

 

“Masa, why is Otoya cosplaying as a pancake?” he asked dryly.

 

Masato shrugged, but gave no other answer. Otoya, however, had more to say.

 

“Ren!” he complained. “Masa won’t help me! I can’t act on stage, I’m not serious enough!”  


Ren gave an uncharacteristic snort. “Did you really expect he would?”

 

Otoya repeated his overly dramatic ‘death scene’ in response to Ren’s commentary.

 

“I’m going to be the worst actor in existence, and I’m going to blame you two,” he declared, looking like he was about to cry. While Masato cared nothing for Otoya’s puppy dog pout, Ren took the opportunity to once again feed his own ego.

 

“Really, Otoya, you’re hopeless when it comes to anything involving women,” he drawled, which immediately sent Otoya into panic mode. He shot up, his eyes darting in every direction, face red.

 

“When did we start talking about girls?!” he asked frantically. “I was talking about _acting!_ ” He implored Masato for help once again. “Masaaaa!”

 

“I said no.”

 

Ren turned what he thought was a jestingly stern eye on his friend.

 

“Masa, come on,” he said smoothly. “We’re a team, the seven of us. It would be cruel just to let the poor boy hang himself. You’re the best stage actor among us, surely you can help him.”

 

The stare Masa gave him could have withered flowers.

 

“I never said I couldn’t,” he said icily. “I said I am _busy._ Now if you’re going to make this much noise, I’m going somewhere else.”

 

He stood and collected his book, headed for the door. Ren cast a dark gaze at the ground, his thoughts bitter. He was running away again, running from everything that bothered him. Sometimes Ren wondered how Masa was ever a competent idol, with the way he refused everything he didn’t approve of.

 

His hand on the doorknob, Masa paused.

 

“You might consider calling your senpai, if it’s that much trouble for you,” he said quietly. “That is why you have him, after all.”

 

With that, he left, disappearing to go find his solitude elsewhere, as usual.

 

Otoya and Ren exchanged glances. Was that.....advice...?

 

~*~

 

_Brrr.....brrr....brrr....._

 

“Nnh. Phone.”

 

The gruff voice was even more gravelly and rude in the morning. Ranmaru was never much of a morning person. Unfortunately for him, neither was Reiji. The bastard was sleeping through that irritating ringtone of his like it was a damn lullaby.

 

_BRRR....BRRR.....BRRR....._

 

“GODDAMMIT REIJI!”

 

Grabbing the phone with a grip that may or may not have crushed the poor device, Ranmaru hurled it across the bed, aiming for Reiji’s head.

 

“OW!” Reiji sat up, a confused look on his face. “What the hell, Ran-ran?”

Sighing, Ranmaru fell back to his pillow and curled up under the blanket, muttering something about a phone and someone hanging up.

 

Realizing, Reiji looked to see who it was, then answered.

 

“Otoya!” he said gleefully. “My darling baby kouhai needs me, this is an auspicious moment. What is it? Tell me tell me tell me!”

 

Ranmaru groaned from under the blankets, and Reiji felt his sometimes-lover kick him in the shin. He covered the phone with his hand and hissed, “Alright, alright! I’m going! Killjoy.”

 

Reiji stepped out into the main room of the hotel suite, pulling on his robe, and returned the phone to its proper place.

 

“Sorry about that,” he apologized. “Ran-ran isn’t particularly fond of being woken up.”

 

_“Oh! Did I wake you up! I’m sorry, I- wait, I woke you up? You mean you’re still on tour?”_

 

Reiji busied himself making coffee as he talked.

 

“Yes. We’re finishing up in Europe this week, and then home. But it’s okay, we slept too late anyway. But you’re avoiding the question! What’s going on, Otoyan?”

 

As Otoya launched into the story of the insane theatrical adventure they were on, Reiji poured himself a cup of coffee and curled up on the couch. He listened intently, only pausing to interject when it was necessary. Reiji truly cared about the members of STARISH, and he wanted them to succeed. He was particularly fond of Otoya and Tokiya, as they were his kouhai specifically.

 

_“But I don’t know what’s wrong, we just- something’s not going the way it’s supposed to. She’s supposed to be this great actress, but she looks like she’s never been on stage before! Like I wasn’t already confused enough trying to be serious instead of comedic, now I have to worry about her too! Reiji, what do I do?”_

 

Reiji chuckled silently to himself. Otoya was such a caring person, of course he would sacrifice his own performance in the interest of his leading lady. This wasn’t unusual, but for the fact that his lady had changed. 

 

“Otoyan,” Reiji said, smiling as he noticed the bedroom door open. “Did you ever consider why she of all people might be having trouble? I can tell you, Shinguji Sakura has all the skills of an extremely accomplished actress. She’s no slouch.”

 

_“You know her?!”_

 

Reiji laughed outright as Ranmaru, clad only in a pair of grey jeans, joined him on the couch, coffee in hand, looking as if he had given up on sleep entirely.

 

“No, silly,” Reiji said to Otoya. “But I’ve seen her work, Camus and I go at least twice a year. He’s a big fan of classic theater. Flower Division shows are no joke, and Shinguji-san is one of their best. So whatever it is, it’s not just the stage.”

 

_What does he want?_ Ranmaru mouthed, and Reiji covered the phone again.

 

“Girl trouble,” he said, rolling his eyes.

 

_“Reijiiiiii....”_

 

“If you whine like that, I won’t help you,” Reiji said with a giggle. Otoya sighed in exasperation.

 

_“You sound just like Masa!”_ he said.

 

Ranmaru’s arms snaked around Reiji’s chest. He clearly wanted for Otoya to call back later, but Reiji was too nice of a person to peel him off.

 

“Listen, Otoyan,” he said, “It sounds to me like she’s just nervous. From what I hear, the Flower Division’s pretty tight. I’ve never heard of them performing with anyone else before, she probably just doesn’t know what to do with you.”

 

_“What’s that supposed to mean? Is she supposed to do something with me?!”_

 

Sighing, Reiji clapped his palm to his forehead. He shoved the phone into Ranmaru’s hand.

 

“I give up. You try, I’m getting more coffee.”

 

Completely caught off-guard, Ranmaru started to protest, but Reiji was already up. He had no choice but to put the phone to his ear.

 

“You must have real talent if you’ve managed to make a starring actress nervous,” he grumbled.

 

_“Ran-ra- I mean, Ranmaru! Uh. What are you...? I mean-”_

 

Ranmaru groaned.

 

“Don’t tell me he’s made that nickname permanent,” he muttered to himself. “You are never to call me that again,” he said firmly to Otoya.

 

_“S-sorry.”_

 

“Anyway,” Ranmaru continued as Reiji returned to the couch with fresh coffee. “To be performers with someone, you have to actually know them. You- you can’t just jump in with anyone.”

 

His voice went quiet at the end, but Reiji’s face lit up nonetheless. To think, his Ran-ran had actually learned something from this experience! Reiji was so proud he could have burst.

 

Otoya’s end of the phone went quiet. He was as surprised as anyone to hear that Ranmaru actually understood anything about group performance. It was common knowledge that Reiji was the real mastermind behind Quartet Night, and that Ranmaru had taken the most convincing to join at all. He was notorious for being a disgruntled loner. If even _he_ had a better grasp on this situation than Otoya, the redhead felt he was doomed.

 

“Try actually getting to know her,” Ranmaru advised sagely. “She won’t be comfortable with you until she knows who you are. Find something to do together, hang out. Do something.”

 

Reiji reached out, and Ranmaru gratefully returned the phone to him.

 

“Ran-ran’s right, Otoyan,” Reiji said confidently. “Get to know the lady, and she’ll be much easier to act with.”

 

_“That’s easy for you to say. How do I get to know her?”_

 

Reiji clucked, getting up to put his coffee cup in the sink.

 

“Goodness, Otoya, have you never met someone new before?” he asked, chuckling. “I’m not a fairy godmother you know! You’ve got to do some things for yourself.”

 

_“I guess so...”_

 

A smile crossed Reiji’s face as his eyes softened.

 

“You’ll be just fine, Otoyan. I believe in you,” he said sincerely. “If you mess it up completely, we’ll be home in a week. Now go get started!”

 

Grinning like an idiot, Reiji held out the phone toward his companion.

 

“Say goodbye, Ranmaru,” he said in a singsong voice.

 

“Goodbye Ranmaru,” the silver-haired man said darkly.

 

“You’re such a smart-ass,” Reiji said as he hung up the phone. When he turned back around, Ranmaru had stretched out on his back, eyes closed, his height taking up the entire length of the couch, leaving Reiji with nowhere to sit.

 

“You knew that already,” he said. “Consider it payback. The little twerp woke me up.”

 

Reiji retaliated by sitting on his chest and refusing to move until Ranmaru had conceded to spend the rest of the day referring to him as “Your Supreme Majesty”.

 

~*~

 

When Syo agreed to let Kanna teach him a few tricks to increase his stage combat ability, he hadn’t expected a full martial arts workout. He almost regretted his decision as he stood face-to-face with the karate champion of Okinawa, sweat pouring down his face.

 

“Tired yet?” Kanna taunted, fists raised.

 

“Not a chance!” Syo barked, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He threw a couple wild punches, which Kanna easily blocked. On the last one, she grabbed hold if his hand and threw him over her shoulder.

 

When she used that move against most of her enemies, they went crashing to the floor and didn’t get up. Syo was a bit better. He knew to tuck and roll as he hit the ground, coming up on his feet in seconds with his hands raised, ready for another attack.

 

Kanna lashed out with one foot, aiming for his chest, but Syo ducked just in time. He came up immediately, his fist meeting the palm of her hand as she blocked him again. This continued solidly for five minutes.

 

_He’s good,_ Kanna realized triumphantly. _He hasn’t got a great offensive strategy, but he’s wicked fast. He can anticipate where I’m going to be, best reflexes I’ve seen in an amateur in a while. Come to think of it, he could probably wear out an opponent, run them ragged dodging until they had no energy and then take home the gold on three moves._

 

Grinning, Kanna pulled out all the stops on her last few moves. She spun like a tornado, throwing punches right and left, forcing Syo to do a complicated dance just to avoid her. She was moving so fast that he could barely keep up. Eventually, one of his steps didn’t take him quite far enough, and he found himself with a bruised shoulder to end the match.

 

Kanna collapsed, laughing like a maniac.

 

“Gods, you’re fast!” she said, a smile spreading across her face. Syo fell to the ground next to her, a faltering smile on his face.

 

“Yeah,” he said, coughing lightly. “I’ve always b-been like that.” He closed his eyes, and Kanna could see that he was focusing on breathing slowly and deeply.

 

“You okay?” she asked, concerned. Without opening his eyes, Syo just flapped a dismissive hand at her.

 

“Nah it’s cool, don’t worry,” he said calmly. “Just gotta be careful with my heart rate, that’s all. It gets too fast and I could get stuck in the hospital again.” He seemed more annoyed at the prospect of a hospital than worried about his heart.

 

Kanna was a bit taken aback, but she tried not to show it.

 

“If you got some kind of heart condition, you shoulda told me,” she berated him.

 

Syo cracked one eyelid and grinned.

 

“But you would’ve gone easy on me,” he said matter-of-factly. “Takes out all the fun.”

 

Forced to reconsider, Kanna found that she liked Syo all the more than she already had. Getting to know him in person changed her whole perspective on him.

 

“That’s pretty cool, though,” she said, laying back with her hands behind her head to stare at the ceiling. “Doing what you want, what’ll make you happy, even if you know it might not end well. Most people might’ve run scared. You turned defying limitations into a career.”

 

Syo sat up, raking his blonde hair out of his eyes.

 

“There’s no cure to sit around and wait for, so I’m not losing anything by not laying around being an invalid. I figured being happy was more important than being healthy,” he said simply. “Plus I’ve got the best team on my side. My brother’s training to be the best doctor in the country, and if anything happens in the meantime, well...I’d like to think STARISH would be able to handle it.”

 

Kanna nodded.

 

“They would,” she said confidently. “You guys seem like a pretty close team, just like us. Somethin’ happens to you, I think your whole team’s gonna do whatever it takes.”

 

Desiring to change the subject, Syo turned it back on Kanna.

 

“Speaking of defying limitations, I’ve never met a girl like you before,” he said. “You could put most of the martial artists I know to shame. And I’ve met quite a few.” The sets of all of his action movies had many martial artists and stunt men, and Syo honestly felt that Kanna was better.

 

“Well, I’m the same as you, I guess,” Kanna said. “I wanted to be happy, even if it meant I had to face a lot of challenges. It’s just something people like us do.”

 

Nodding again, Syo turned his gaze to the ceiling as well.

 

“Do you ever regret it?” he asked.

 

“Never,” Kanna answered easily. “Every day I get up and do what I love. Who could regret that?”

 

Syo agreed.


	5. Madmen and Pranksters

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 5: Madmen and Pranksters

 

That evening, Sakura was busy rehearsing her part with Maria. Kohran was doing some minor Koubu repairs in her spare time. Kanna was playing with Syo, and Captain Ohgami was with that composer girl again, which meant that Iris had tea with Jean-Paul today. Just Jean-Paul.

 

“It’s okay, Jean-Paul,” she said quietly, pouring tea for herself and the little teddy bear. “The others are working hard. They were just busy. We can have tea alone today.”

 

She left the door to her room open, as she usually did, because she liked to see all of the interesting people walk by. Iris was a lot more observant than people gave her credit for. Plus, with her history....well, closed or locked doors weren’t exactly her favorite thing.

 

She hadn’t thought about asking any of the STARISH members to join her. Iris didn’t take to strangers very quickly, and it was rare that she spoke to anyone beyond Sakura, Kanna, or Ohgami without some kind of outside encouragement.

 

It was lucky for Iris, then, that Natsuki was such an outgoing person. He poked his head in her door, staring at her tea setup.

 

“Are you having tea alone?” he asked, his voice concerned. Iris stared at him like he had two heads, but she nodded. Natsuki’s face lit up like the sun as he dived into the room without waiting for an invitation, and settled himself on the floor across from Iris, stuffed Piyo-chan in hand. Iris kept wary eyes trained on the blonde man, but she politely served him tea anyway. From what she had seen of him at mealtimes and in rehearsal, he was generally harmless. A bit daft, perhaps, but he seemed pleasant enough. He was very different from anyone Iris had ever met before.

 

Natsuki’s thoughts were nowhere near as interesting as Iris’s. His mind was filled with glitter and rainbows, and the smile on his face was so bright it might have blinded any unsuspecting passerby. He had wanted to properly say hello to Iris for quite a while, but the strict rehearsal schedule made it difficult.

 

“You are so nice, Iris!” Natsuki crowed, hugging his Piyo-chan close to his chest. “I just want to hug you!”

 

He remembered what Syo had told him about personal space with new people....and promptly threw it out the window. Smile on his face, he lunged at Iris, momentarily wrapping her in his cuddliest hug....

 

 

His back hit the wall with a crashing sound, as Iris escaped from his grip. She held Jean-Paul tightly in one hand, staring at the fallen Natsuki with calculating eyes.

 

Unfazed by her violent rejection of him, Natsuki just grinned his dopey grin.

 

“You act like Syo-kun!” he said, giggling. “He doesn’t like hugs either!”

 

Iris stared at him, shocked. She had thrown him into a _wall_ , and he was just sitting there giggling like a madman. Was he insane? Most people would have run screaming. Surely he must have realized that a girl her size couldn’t have just thrown him off with her own strength, right? Didn’t he notice there was something strange about her?

 

Without missing a beat, Natsuki picked himself up off the floor and returned to the table, his smile firmly in place, as if this type of response were completely normal. It made Iris wonder- was he crazy, or how many time must Syo have thrown Natsuki off for it to mean so little to him?

 

Very slowly, Iris returned to her seat as well.

 

“Jean-Paul thinks you are strange,” she said carefully. Natsuki just shrugged and grinned, sipping his tea.

 

“Maybe,” he said brightly. “Syo-chan says I’m strange all the time. But I like being this way. It’s no fun if you’re just like everybody else, right?”

 

As Natsuki entertained himself with his ridiculous talk, Iris found herself warming up to him a bit. He was an oddball, that was for sure, but he seemed like a sweetheart. He was kind, even if he didn’t always get everything right. He reminded her of Ohgami.

 

“Iris is not like everyone else,” she said quietly. “Iris is different.”

 

Natsuki’s eyes grew wide. “You are so special!” he squealed.

 

Iris just sipped her tea, pondering. She had never thought of it as ‘special’ before.

 

~*~

 

The next day’s rehearsal went mildly better than the one before, if only because they never got to the end of the show. Blocking rehearsals always went slowly. Today, it was only the first few scenes. There was the opening song, where the narrator, Masato, tells the story of the kingdom doomed to destruction at the hands of the Gods of Ice and Fire, followed by the prince’s decision to go on a quest to the fabled gods’ mountain and beg for mercy. His friends, the Master of Swords and Master of Fists (played by Otoya and Syo) declare their loyalty to the prince, and go with him. He visits an old prophetess, played by Kohran, who tells him how to find the gods’ mountain, and advises him to take whatever challenge they give him.

 

Tokiya watched from afar, seated in the back of the auditorium, musing.

 

Ren, as the prince, was the busiest actor that morning. It turned out he actually had quite a bit of acting skill, which really didn’t surprise anyone. Someone as self-centered as he would do well in a stage environment. Syo, too, fit very easily into his role as the Master of Fists. Otoya did decently. Tokiya figured that with just a bit of work, he would do very well in the end. Drama didn’t come as naturally to him as comedy, but it wasn’t entirely out of his range. His biggest problem was his own nerves getting in the way. Iris and Cecil were perfect as nymphs, and they managed between them to keep Natsuki from making too big an idiot of himself. Maria and Kanna worked together fantastically, radiating the power of gods even in rehearsal. They played off one another seamlessly, which Tokiya suspected was a large part of their being cast in those specific roles.

 

Sakura and Sumire had yet to make an appearance, and stood off to the side, watching. Tokiya noticed that Sakura seemed to be enjoying the show as an audience member would, but Sumire was obviously annoyed at not being onstage. She would get her chance- the princess’ handmaiden had a decent role. It would just have to wait.

 

“Lost in thought?”

 

Tokiya glanced up to see none other than Lieutenant Fujieda, smiling as she slid into a seat next to him. His impassive expression softened.

 

“Lieutenant Fujieda,” he greeted her.

 

“There’s no need to use my title,” she said kindly. “You’re not under my command, after all. You can just use my name.” She was out of uniform today, and wore a simple white pencil skirt with a blue jacket.

 

Tokiya couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Fujieda-san, then. I am surprised you have the time to watch rehearsals. I had imagined a woman in your position would be very busy.”

 

Ayame nodded, but her eyes were glued to the stage.

 

“I am, really,” she said, “But sometimes even I have to take a break. The Commander is at a board meeting today, and won’t be back until after lunch. I’ve learned to take my time off when I can.”

 

Truthfully, Commander Yoneda was always after Ayame to take better care of herself, but military training was hard to beat. She had been trained during the Kouma War, when to take a break was to court death.

 

“How is it going?” she asked Tokiya. He shrugged.

 

“So far, well,” he said nonchalantly. “Ren in particular is very well-suited to his part. Syo, too. The casting was very well-done.”

 

Ayame laughed.

 

“Well, we did know a bit about all of you before we cast the show,” she said with a smile. “Your mentor- Ringo, is it? He’s a very insightful person. His input helped a great deal. Though we would have preferred to cast you in the role of the Master of Swords.”

 

Taken aback, Tokiya turned to meet her eyes. Ayame laughed again at the surprise written on his face.

 

“Is it really so surprising?” she asked him. “You’ve done plenty of dramatic roles as HAYATO. I would think this would be perfect for you.”

 

Tokiya paused, pondering her words.

 

“Perhaps I have the most technical skill,” he said cautiously, “But I think the show might have suffered for it. The Master of Swords is a lover’s role, and that suits Otoya far better than I.” He hated to admit it, but passion was one of the things Tokiya had trouble with. It always had been, ever since the beginning of STARISH.

 

Ayame’s smile softened, and she looked almost sad.

 

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

 

“It’s hard to explain,” Tokiya admitted. “I have- I have been in this business far longer than the others, but at times it feels like I have learned so much less. They are naturals to the field.”

 

Understanding, Ayame sat back in her chair.

 

“Sometimes it’s difficult, seeing others excel easily where you work hard to succeed.” It was a feeling she knew well. She had always held less personal spirit energy than any of the members of the Flower Division. Even back in the Anti-Kouma Squad, she had been the least of the four members. It was part of why she was now higher command, rather than a front-lines warrior. The change had been a good one for her, but even now it did leave some questions to be asked.

 

“What will you do?”

 

Ayame’s question drew Tokiya out of his reverie, and he looked at her with a confused expression.

 

“I don’t take your meaning,” he said. Ayame narrowed her gaze. “Staying in a position like this one, with six other members depending on you- they need to know all of your strengths and your weaknesses,” she answered. “I’m not saying you can’t be a team, but you do have to be honest with one another. If you feel that you’re not on the same level as they are, then you should tell them.”

 

“That would risk my position with STARISH,” Tokiya countered, but Ayame simply stared at him.

 

“Would it?” she asked.

 

When Tokiya didn’t answer her, Ayame stood.

 

“Consider yourself carefully, Ichinose-san,” she said, her voice steady, but not harsh. “Perhaps you are simply not where you are meant to be.”

 

With that, she left, leaving Tokiya with more to think about than just the cast list.

 

~*~

 

After that, the days began to pass more quickly. Rehearsals were a roller-coaster, some days were much better than others. Sakura still had not become comfortable with Otoya, but her private rehearsals with Maria were improving. Natsuki’s dancing was still terrible, but he was lucky to work with Iris and Cecil, who both possessed kind and patient hearts. They managed to dance well enough to make Natsuki look much better by comparison.

 

Outside of rehearsals, the group’s dynamics were a little rickety. Masa was still being a bit more cold and unfriendly than usual, and Tokiya, too, had withdrawn, and spoke only to those who made a point to speak first. Both, it was obvious, were highly preoccupied with their own thoughts.

 

Other members became closer and friendlier each day. Haruka had managed to make a new friend in Kohran, sharing a room with her. She had even become somewhat used to the frequent explosions in the room. Her terrified squeaks could now be heard only from next door, and not from farther down the hall. Ohgami still made every effort to be kind to Haruka, but it was clear to him that she was much more comfortable with Kohran and with Sakura than with he. It was frustrating, but he dismissed it. It had taken longer than this for some of the Flower Division to warm up to him.

 

Syo and Kanna had become nearly inseparable, and it wasn’t uncommon to see them playfully punching and kicking one another even when just walking down the halls. The redheaded Amazon liked having someone around who shared her enthusiasm and spunkiness, and Syo liked having a friend that he didn’t have to worry about constantly picking on him about his height. Despite the irony of their physiques, Kanna had never once called him ‘midget’ or ‘munchkin’, and when they sparred, she faced him as she would any opponent.

 

In fact, all was going rather smoothly overall....except for one little thing.

 

“Otori!”

 

Yuri’s enraged scream echoed off the walls of the scenic workshop like a battle cry. In her hand she held a pair of prop swords for Ren and Otoya, the blades of which had been painted with hot pink lacquer.

 

Eiichi, who was in the props loft with Kira, appeared at the top of the steps.

 

“You called me, Sakakibara-san? Were the floral arrangements for the nymphs unsatisfactory?” he asked innocently.

 

Yuri held up the swords, the look on her face demanding an explanation.

 

Eiichi adjusted his glasses.

 

“Oh dear. What on earth happened to the swords?” he asked, his blameless mask firmly in place. The smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.

 

“How unfortunate,” Eiichi said, descending the steps from the loft down to the main workshop floor. “I suppose they’ll have to be repainted.”

 

“Why yes, I suppose they will,” Yuri said through gritted teeth. “Which I think is a perfect job for-”

 

“Yuri!”

 

Yuri jumped at the sound of Kasumi’s voice. The older girl came bustling into the room, her arms full of completed costumes, all of which looked in danger of falling to the ground at any moment. Yuri rushed to help her friend, but Eiichi was quicker. He caught the falling dresses and jackets, carefully rearranging them so that he could grip their hangers with ease.

 

“Let me help you, Fuji-san,” he said, his voice soft. “These must be hung in the dressing room closet, correct?”

 

Kasumi nodded, her mind so frantically busy that she didn’t even notice the flaming pink swords in Yuri’s hand.

 

“Yes, that’s right. Yuri, have you seen Tsubaki? She was supposed to be here ten minutes ago with the flower crowns for the nymphs, but I haven’t been able to-”

 

A sniffle from the doorway forced all three of them to stop in their tracks. Tsubaki stood, leaning against the doorframe, a flower crown on her head and tears running down her face.

 

Yuri gasped.

 

“Tsubaki! What’s wrong, what happened?” Yuri rushed to her friend’s side. “Why are you wearing one of the crowns?” she asked quizzically.

 

Tsubaki sniffed and rubbed her nose.

 

“It-it won’t come off,” she wailed miserably. “I must have set it in the wrong place on the table, but there was glue on it, and I didn’t know, and now it’s stuck in my hair!” She looked ready to fall apart any minute.

 

Yuri’s eyes immediately flashed to Eiichi, who simply held up his hands in an innocent gesture.

 

“Don’t look at me,” he said calmly. “I haven’t touched the flowers since yesterday.”

 

“Takamura-san, come on!” echoed a voice from the hallway. “I promise, it will only be a moment!”

 

Nagi came dashing in behind Tsubaki, a pair of scissors in his hand.

 

“You just have to hold still for a _minute_ ,” he said wickedly, which sent Tsubaki running to hide behind Kasumi. Yuri followed, her nimble fingers working to get the crown out of poor Tsubaki’s hair, but the crown was not having any of it.

 

“It’s completely stuck,” Yuri muttered fiercely as she yanked at the knots. Tsubaki’s crying became worse as Yuri pulled harder, and Nagi looked like he was ready to burst out laughing.

 

A sharp knock at the shop door made the entire lot of them freeze where they were. Lieutenant Fujieda stood there, in her off-duty clothes, one eyebrow raised as she sized up the situation.

 

 “Is everything alright?” she asked.

 

“We just had a little accident, Lieutenant,” said Kasumi smoothly. “Nothing we can’t handle.”

 

One look at Tsubaki’s face told her otherwise.

 

“Well you’ll never get anything done in this state, Tsubaki,” Ayame said, her voice firm, but kind. “Why don’t you come with me, and we’ll let the others get back to work.”

 

Tsubaki nodded quickly, and ran out the door past Ayame. Kasumi and Yuri exchanged furtive looks, but there was nothing they could really do. To tell Ayame about all of their trouble with HEAVENS was almost more likely to cause problems than fix them. Additionally, it was a matter of dignity. The Wind Division was not to be outwitted by a group of idiotic, egotistical _popstars._

 

“Those swords will need repainting,” Ayame noted as she turned to leave. “Otori-san, why don’t you get to work on that.”

 

Eiichi blanched, but there was nothing he could say.

 

“O-of course, Lieutenant,” he said, bowing politely. “Right away.” A triumphant grin spread across Yuri’s face as she handed him the swords.

 

As the _click, click_ of the lieutenant’s heels faded off into the distance with Tsubaki’s sniffling, the backstage crew dissipated to get back to their individual tasks. Only when he went to return to the upstairs props loft did Eiichi notice Kira, leaning over the rail, watching the entire discourse.

 

_What a stalker,_ he thought to himself, but said nothing. Kira’s idiosyncrasies were beyond understanding.

 

~*~

 

“Try that last section again, Sakura.”

“Right!”

“And don’t forget to breathe.”

 

Sakura cleared her throat, and turned to face Maria, who knelt on the ground before her in the practice room.

“This mountain is lonely,” she said, her voice soft and beautiful. “Tell me, traveler, what brings you to this place?”

 

“I come here to aid my master,” said Maria, reciting Otoya’s lines. “For he has taken a challenge from the gods. I am his loyal servant.” She bowed her head, crossing her arm as if gripping the hilt of a sword. Sakura squeaked and jumped back, as the blocking required.

 

Maria looked up, surprised.

 

“Kind lady, what frightens you so?” she asked. “I mean you no harm.”

 

Sakura stayed where she was, her stance wary.

 

“Few who come here bearing weapons mean no harm,” she said quietly, every bit the princess whose life was filled with fear and destruction.

 

Smiling, Maria stood.

 

“My sword is merely a part of me, lady. It can no more harm you than I can. I have sworn thrice over to protect the innocent. You have nothing to fear from me.”

 

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, but found herself cut off as the practice room door opened.

 

“Ren, I don’t understand why you had to-”

 

Otoya froze mid-sentence, standing in the doorway with his mouth hanging open. His face went bright red.

 

 

“I-I’m sorry!” he stammered. “I apologize, I thought Ren was working in here, he said that I should- well obviously he’s not here, why would he be here- I am so sorry.” He bowed politely.

 

Sakura seemed stuck in place, her eyes wide, just staring at him as if he were a rainbow unicorn in the Imperial Theater. Glancing at her, Maria noted the oddness.

 

“It is no matter, Ittoki-san,” she said easily. “We were simply practicing, in preparation for tomorrow’s rehearsal.”

 

Sakura’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried desperately to form words, but not a sound came out. Otoya stared at her feet, blushing intensely.

 

“Yes, I guess that’s probably a good idea,” he muttered. “I’ll, uh- I’ll get out of your way, then.”

 

Testing a theory, Maria held up a hand.

 

“But of course you should stay and practice with us, Ittoki-san,” she said, her mouth twisting into a wry smile. “As we are conveniently at your part in the script.”

 

Both Sakura and Otoya gaped at her, completely lost for words.

 

Otoya recovered first.

 

“B-but, I, I don’t know my lines yet,” he said hurriedly. Without a word, Maria removed her script from her waistband and handed it to him.

 

“A perfect time to learn them, then,” she said confidently. She steered Otoya into position in front of Sakura, and unceremoniously forced him to his knees.

 

“We are on page twenty-two,” she said, and stepped back. “Begin with Sakura’s line.”

 

Red-faced and terribly self-conscious, Sakura repeated the lines she had spoken only moments before.

 

“This mountain is- is lonely,” she said shakily. She sounded nothing like before, her voice now trembled as she fought not to look Otoya in the eye. “Tell me, traveler, what b-brings you to this place?”

 

Otoya’s line was smoother, but he was so quiet you could hardly hear him.

 

“I come here to aid my master, for he has taken a challenge from the gods. I am his loyal servant.” It came out as barely more than a whisper, and his eyes remained glued to the floor. Maria noticed that he didn’t have nearly the trouble with his lines that he said he did. For all he had complained that he didn’t know them, he wasn’t even looking at the script in front of him.

 

They continued on in this fashion for several minutes, neither of them improving even the slightest bit. Sakura seemed terrified of Otoya’s very existence, and it appeared to Maria like he knew it. He was not afraid of her, but he stayed quiet and distant, as if he dared not intrude on her comfort any more than he already had.

 

Then it happened. They came to the point in the script where Sakura had to give Otoya her hand.

 

Maria watched sharply as Sakura carefully extended her hand. She was shaking, and she barely moved her hand away from her body. Otoya reached forward, but she was holding back far enough that he could not reach her.

 

“Miss Shinguji,” he said softly, glancing up. Sakura jumped at the sound of her name, and her chocolate eyes met his amber ones. To her surprise, the look on his face was soft, concerned even.

 

“It’s alright, Sakura-chan,” he said, smiling that sweet smile of his. She was like a frightened little girl, and it surprised him how much she reminded him of the children in the orphanage where he grew up. She seemed to think he was much more intimidating than he really was. If he could only get her to trust him....

 

“I’m not going to bite.”

 

His tone changed, becoming lighter, and much more friendly. _Get to know her. Let her see who you really are._

 

Otoya grinned, the big, dopey grin he used with the kids at the orphanage. He scooted forward on his knees, flailing overdramatically, trying to reach Sakura’s hand.

 

“Lady- Allow me to-”

 

He lunged again, and fell flat on his face.

 

“...be of service to you,” he finished, his voice muffled by the floor.

 

Sakura finally cracked a smile. Her hand went straight to her mouth, and her shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. Otoya sat up, took one look at her face, and knew he had hit his mark.

 

_Let her see who you really are._

 

Otoya was a comedian. If he could make the lady laugh, he could win her over.

The bright smile that spread across his face matched the one hiding behind Sakura’s hand.

 

“Sorry,” he said, running his fingers through his messy red hair. “I’m not very good at this.”

 

Sakura carefully lowered her hand, revealing her expression. Her eyes sparkled like stars, Otoya noticed, and she looked much more comfortable when she was smiling. All he had to do was keep her smiling, and that was something he knew he could do.

 

“Not at all,” she said, her soft voice ringing like bells. “You were perfect, Ittoki-san!”

 

Otoya snorted.

 

“Tell that to my flattened nose,” he grumbled, sending Sakura into giggles.

 

Otoya scooted back to his original place.

 

“Should we start again?” he asked. Sakura nodded.

 

“Yes!” she said, sounding much less frightened at the prospect.

 

It was only halfway into the scene again that either of them noticed that Maria had disappeared.

 

 

~*~

 

The lights glinted dangerously off the blade of Sumire’s _naginata_ , as she spun around the practice room in a deadly dance. Her eyes held the seriousness that she always did- Sumire never did anything half-heartedly. Her practice clothes were streaked with sweat, but she did not dare stop until she had finished the drill. The Kanzaki Rising Wind Style left no room for error.

 

Spinning the _naginata_ like a windmill blade, Sumire increased her speed. _Harder,_ she pushed herself. _Don’t give up. Faster!_

 

Sumire’s hair flew in the wind she had created, giving her the feeling of actual combat. She took a deep breath, and brought the weapon to a halt, straight up in the air. She brought it down like a hammer, leaving a neat split in the practice mat at her feet.

 

Breathing hard, Sumire froze where she was, simply trying to ignore the pounding of blood in her head. Her heart was beating like a racehorse, but she had to control it. Two deep breaths, and she was comfortable enough to stand.

 

From the doorway, she heard slow, confident clapping. Her eyes narrowed. She knew who it had to be.

 

Bracing herself, Sumire turned to see, as she had predicted, that idiot Jinguji at the door.

 

“What, were you spying on me? Nice habit,” she said harshly. “Remind me, and next time I’ll aim that blade at your head.” She neatly removed said blade from the floor, and swung her _naginata_ up behind her.

 

Ren laughed, a full-chested, dark laugh that embodied him perfectly.

 

“Admiring, perhaps, but never spying,” he said, a wicked glint in his eyes. “You are certainly worthy of admiration.”

 

The brunette reached up and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

 

“Good for you, you’ve grasped the same concept as the entirety of Japan. What an accomplishment.”

 

She made to brush past him, to leave, but his hand caught her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

 

“I couldn’t possibly allow you leave now, lady,” he said smoothly. “After such an insult. No, I believe I really must insist that you make it up to me.”

 

Her brown eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in anger.

 

“Release me at once,” Sumire hissed through gritted teeth. “Before I send your guts flying.”

 

Ren sighed dramatically.

 

“Such a fiery spirit,” he observed. “You demand to be let go, when we’re having so much fun.”

 

Gasping, Sumire grasped his wrist and forcibly removed him from her person. She was surprisingly strong for someone her size...either that, or he hadn’t been holding on too tightly.

 

“You call this fun?” she countered, eyes flashing dangerously. “I call it harassment.”

 

To her surprise, Ren took a step back. He crossed his arms, staring at her contemplatively.

 

“You are an intriguing person, Kanzaki Sumire,” he said, his low voice a rumble in his chest. Sumire hated to admit it, even in her own head, but it his voice sent shivers up her spine.

 

“By day, you stand upon the stage, _begging_ for attention. By night, you threaten anyone who comes close.” He spoke slowly, almost teasing her with his observations. “Which is more important to you, I wonder?”

 

Sumire’s grip loosened on the handle of her _naginata_.

 

“I get the feeling you’re not just any ordinary fan,” she said. Her tone had quieted to a cynical calmness. She had decided to play, not to fight. Ren grinned at the prospect. He liked her much better this way.

 

Ren shook his head, his strawberry-blonde locks catching the light from the room.

 

“Hardly,” he said quietly.

 

Sumire responded by leaning her _naginata_ against the wall, and crossing her own arms. The way she stood, with one hip stuck out- it was both warning and invitation, in Ren’s eyes. The woman was intoxicating, and she knew it.

 

“I’m surprised you would pay so much attention to me,” she said lightly, “When you brought a snack for the road.” Her eyes met his, and it was Ren’s turn to be surprised. If she meant Haruka, which he believed she did, then that was a low blow.

 

But was it entirely unfounded?

 

The silver bracelets on his right arm clinked as Ren clenched his fist. That, however, was his only tell. His expression remained neutral, as he closed his eyes and ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair.

 

“A valid point,” he murmured. “But allow me to assure you, Lady Haruka is merely my composer.”

 

Not a muscle in Sumire’s face moved an inch. She didn’t believe him one bit.

 

“Intriguing I may be,” Sumire said, choosing her words carefully, “But I have nothing to lie about. Everything I do, I do in complete sincerity. Can you say the same?”

 

She took a step closer, effectively putting the wall at his back. It was an ironic twist of their last encounter like this. A cruel irony, one that Sumire enjoyed intensely.

 

“What are you, Jingujji Ren?” Sumire whispered, her voice low.

 

At the sound of his name, so coldly tossed about, Ren’s eyes flashed open.

 

She had vanished, the way smoke vanishes in the daylight. In his mind, Ren thought he heard the familiar _thunk_ of a dart hitting a dartboard.

 

_She knew right where to hit,_ he thought bitterly to himself. _She’s good._

 

Slowly, Ren collected himself, and left the practice room. As he disappeared down the hall, a terrifying thought crossed his mind.

 

_Too good._


	6. Mechanics and Musicians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a splash pairing! I couldn't resist.

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 6: Mechanics and Musicians

 

No one had ever been able to truly explain why it was that Kohran worked so much better (and faster) in the wee hours of the morning. It had simply become part of how things went at the theater. No one was surprised, when they got up for a snack in the middle of the night, to hear the sounds of her tinkering and banging about down in the Koubu hangar.

 

As Haruka lay peacefully asleep upstairs in Kohran’s room, the young mechanic was hard at work among her metallic friends, the Koubu. Yanking hard to loosen a particularly difficult bolt, Kohran wound up smacking her head on the metal railing behind her with a loud crashing sound.

 

“Owww,” she complained, clutching at her head. She was used to this, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Frustrated, she addressed the Koubu on which she was working- Maria’s.

 

“You and I both know you have to give up that bolt,” she told it firmly. “Hitting me in the head isn’t going to let you keep it.”

 

“Who are you talking to?”

 

Kohran nearly hit her head again as she jumped at the sound of a human voice. What’s more, it wasn’t a human voice she could easily recognize. She climbed up on top of the Koubu’s metal hull, and saw the bright green eyes of Cecil Aijima staring back at her.

 

“I’m talking to the Koubu,” she answered easily, jumping back down to that bolt and applying her wrench once more.

 

Cecil appeared next to her as silently as a shadow. He stared intently at her.

 

“Koubu?” he asked, and Kohran just laughed.

 

“This, right here,” she said, tapping Maria’s Koubu with her wrench. It produced a pleasant metal-on-metal sound that echoed off the hangar walls. “It’s a Koubu. Maria’s, specifically.”

 

The tan young man appraised the large device in front of him, seeming completely mystified.

 

“Koubu,” he said slowly, turning the word over in his mouth, getting used to it. “These are what you use in your other job. You fight things, right?”

 

Kohran nodded, as the troublesome bolt finally gave way. Cecil didn’t seem at all bothered by her continuing to work while he talked, so that’s exactly what she did.

 

“Yup,” she said cheerfully. “Demons, mostly. The Koubu fight with us.”

 

Cecil blinked at her.

 

“You say that like it’s alive,” he murmured, and Kohran nodded sharply again.

 

 

“Of course it’s alive!” she said sharply. “They’re all alive. They even have hearts.” She leaned forcefully into her tinkering, her mouth set in a determined line.

 

“Hearts?”

 

Poor Cecil sounded as confused as Sakura had, when Kohran had first explained it to her. Fortunately, he didn’t seem _against_ the idea, just a little lost.

 

Sighing, Kohran put down her wrench.

 

“Every Koubu has a quartz heart that keeps it in tune with its pilot,” she said, adopting her best lecture voice. “The Koubu are more than just fighting machines. They’re designed with their pilots’ greatest desires in mind. They know who we are, what we want. They’re like our friends.”

 

She leaned across the aisle between Maria’s Koubu and Kohran’s own green one, gesturing for Cecil to do the same.

 

“Put your hand on it,” she said. When Cecil had obeyed, Kohran reached out and pressed her palm to the green-lacquered metal. Instantly, she saw that Cecil had felt the effect.

 

“It’s warm,” he said, staring at his own hand as if she had lit it on fire. Kohran giggled.

 

“It knows I’m here,” she explained. “Most of the Koubu get warm when they feel their pilot’s touch.” She shrugged, and scooted back over to Maria’s Koubu, which still needed her attention.

 

“They all warm up a little for me, since I give them the most attention,” she added. “But none of them get as excited as that just for me except mine.”

 

“How does it know it is you?” Cecil wanted to know.

 

Kohran snorted.

 

“That’s a silly question,” she said, as she removed the metal plate covering some of the navy blue Koubu’s electrical wiring. “Like I said, it’s attuned to my heart. It can feel me. It knows what my heart feels like.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Cecil let Kohran work in silence for a few minutes, staring from Koubu to Koubu. He even got up for a bit, and circled them, noting the differences. He tried touching each one, but none warmed up as Kohran’s had done.

 

He could tell whose was whose easily enough. He had seen Sakura practicing with her sword in the early hours of the morning once or twice, so he assumed that the light pink Koubu with an identical sword was hers. Kohran’s had a large cannon-looking device on the top. She had mentioned that the dark blue one with the pistol arm was Maria’s. The red one came fitted with claw attachments that worked best for a hand-to-hand fighter, so that one had to be Kanna’s, which left only the purple and yellow.

 

“What does this one do?” Cecil asked, staring at the weaponless yellow Koubu. It’s only major defining feature was a pair of large plated shields across the legs. He saw no gun, no cannon, no sword. For a fighting machine, it seemed pretty useless.

 

Kohran looked up to see which Koubu he meant. She smiled, when she saw which one.

 

“That one belongs to Iris,” she said simply. “Iris doesn’t fight with weapons, so her Koubu doesn’t have any.”

 

“How does Iris fight with no weapons?” Cecil asked.

 

Goodness, he had a lot of questions, Kohran thought wryly to herself. But she never lost an opportunity to tell anyone about the Koubu.

 

“Iris uses her spirit energy,” she said. “It’s like magic, sort of. She-”

 

“I know spirit energy.”

 

Cecil’s soft comment caught Kohran completely off-guard.

 

“Whaaaaaat?!” she squeaked, her jaw on the floor. “How do you know anything about that?!”

 

It was Cecil’s turn to shrug, placing his hand on the yellow Koubu’s hull.

 

“Some of my people use spirit energy, as the muses will it,” he said, as if that explained anything. Kohran was mystified. To be honest, he sounded a bit crazy.

 

“Your people?” she asked uncertainly.

 

Cecil turned and met her eyes, without removing his hand from Iris’ Koubu.

 

“Yes,” he said simply. “I come from a country far west of here. Agnopolis. We are worshippers of the muses, divine goddesses of music.”

 

The violet-haired mechanic let out a soft “Oh”, entirely dumbfounded.

 

The prince of Agnopolis smiled at her. He was sweet, Kohran thought. The way he accepted everything she told him, sorting it out in his head until it made sense- he was very like Sakura. She liked him, she determined.

 

Cecil stayed there in the hangar with Kohran until she had finished all of her repairs for the night. Then they stayed awake even longer, chatting. Kohran showed him the inside of her Koubu, and gave him a rough tutorial on how it worked. He was like a little child who had never been to school, eagerly drinking up the new knowledge with fascinated eyes.

 

He told her of Agnopolis (finally convincing her that he wasn’t crazy). She seemed to find his devotion to the muses funny, but she did mention that he must be an interesting person, to give up being a prince for being a popstar idol.

 

They talked for so long that Kohran was eventually left snoring, leaning against the side of her Koubu. Cecil smiled as he watched her. She was so in love with these machines, he had discovered. She could talk about them for hours. Listening to her, he could see exactly how the Koubu could feel her heart. They were attuned to her, but more importantly, _she_ was attuned to _them_.

 

He considered waking her up, but decided that Kohran seemed more comfortable here than anywhere. Plus, she looked so peaceful....and returning her to her room would wake Haruka. So he settled for fetching her a warm blanket from upstairs, tucking it around her sleeping form as gently as possible.

 

When she awoke, Kohran grinned at the sight of the blanket.

 

“Would you look at that,” she said offhandedly to her Koubu. “He is sweet.”

 

~*~

 

Breakfast the next morning was a relatively quiet affair. Most of the Flower Division weren’t interested in social interaction so early. Sakura, Ohgami, Natsuki, and Haruka were notably cheerful. Cecil, who was usually decently talkative in the morning, was quiet as a mouse. Kohran and Syo were both nearly snoring into their food. Maria, Tokiya, Iris, and Sumire were stark and silent. Kanna spoke when spoken to, but it was clear to everyone that she didn’t have any desire to be awake right then.

 

Ren, surprisingly, had taken a break from his pursuit of Sumire, and was sitting with Kanna and the snoozing pair, Syo and Kohran.

 

When Masato finally arrived, Ren raised a hand in greeting, indicating that Masa should sit with them. Unfortunately, he was met only with a curt nod, before Masato took a seat with Maria, Tokiya, and Sumire. At that, even the talkative few had to pause in surprise.

 

Haruka and Natsuki looked sadly at Ren, who had returned to his food with no words. His poor breakfast, however, was at the mercy of a slightly more violent pair of chopsticks.

 

“Is something wrong?” Ohgami asked, concerned. Sakura looked up intently. She wanted to know as well.

 

Natsuki and Haruka both sighed.

 

“Masa-chan and Ren-chan have been good friends since they were children,” Natsuki explained, his voice thick with sadness. “They are nearly polar opposites, but somehow, they manage to understand each other better than the rest of us could ever hope.”

 

Sakura’s eyelids fluttered as she tried to look at Ren without being obvious. Until now, she had only ever talked with bright, cheerful, happy Natsuki. To hear him quiet down so much, it was worrying. Whatever was happening between Ren and Masato must have been serious.

 

“But lately,” Haruka added, “They haven’t been acting like themselves at all.”

 

“Well, sort of,” Natsuki said. “Masa-chan has never been friendly, exactly...”

 

“...but he’s never been this cold before,” Haruka finished. “And Ren, he’s usually so outgoing...”

 

“...but he’s never been cruel.” Natsuki adjusted his glasses, staring back and forth between Masato and Ren.

 

“I think something happened, between them, when we came here,” Haruka confessed. “Masato-san has always been so patient with Ren, and he never says what he’s thinking. But lately, Masa hasn’t been keeping it to himself at all. That’s strange, for him.”

 

Natsuki added, “And Ren-chan has always made fun of Masa-chan, a little bit, but he’s been worse about it lately. Almost like he doesn’t care how Masa feels anymore.”

 

Sakura and Ohgami traded helpless looks. They were both such kind people, it was hard to hear of others’ troubles without wanting to help. But if Haruka and Natsuki didn’t know what was going on, then how on earth would two strangers be able to fix it?

 

“Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” Ohgami said, somewhat listlessly. He knew the chances were slim. When it came to matters like this, people had to work out their own problems.

 

Haruka and Natsuki both nodded, their expressions as glum as Ohgami’s.

 

From that point, breakfast was truly silent.

 

~*~

 

After the morning’s rehearsal, Ren didn’t come to lunch. Instead, he went for a run, like he always did when he had something on his mind.

 

Maria watched him intently from the second-floor balcony as he circled the lake across from the Imperial Theater, her lips pursed. While his frivolity didn’t bother her, she had come to discover that she disliked the way he interacted with Hijirikawa. From what Sakura had mentioned, the pair of them were usually thick as thieves. Why, then, were they so hostile with one another now?

 

That day, in the hall after rehearsal...Maria wondered if Jinguji had seen the look on Hijirikawa’s face. Certainly Sakura had, and Maria had, but did Ren realize what was so close to bubbling to the surface? His friend appeared to be losing patience with him. Maria didn’t like it.

 

Still, Maria had never been one to insert herself into the affairs of others without some serious cause. She herself valued her privacy more than nearly everything. She was not the person who needed to speak up here.

 

The rustling of clothes behind her told Maria that she wasn’t alone on the balcony.

 

“You don’t like it either,” came Kanna’s low, gruff voice. Kanna had always been able to see through Maria’s mask, most of the time.

 

“I don’t,” Maria conceded.

 

The two women stared in silence, the wind blowing strongly through Maria’s blonde locks and Kanna’s ginger ones. Maria was the only one Kanna could communicate in silence with.

 

“They’ll figure it out.”

 

Kanna’s voice was quiet, but determined. She had such faith in them. Maria noted for the thousandth time how ironic their relationship was.

 

“One can only hope,” she said quietly.

 

~*~

 

For the rest of the cast, lunchtime came and went. Most of them were at least somewhat excited to get back to rehearsing. The more they practiced, the more the show started to come together. Sakura was still a little nervous, but as she spent more and more time with Otoya, their performances both improved dramatically.

 

Only Haruka was not excited for the rehearsal to begin again. She loved watching the boys practice, but it went on for so very long...

 

Plus, they didn’t need her for this. There was nothing for Haruka to do except watch attentively (which was honestly very tiring). She imagined she had the first half of the script memorized just from hearing them practice it repeatedly.

 

Within the first ten minutes of the afternoon rehearsal’s beginning, Haruka felt her eyelids involuntarily begin to droop. She started missing every third word or so. When she finally realized how far out of it she was, Haruka stood up quietly and made her way to the auditorium door to get some air. Maybe that would wake her up a bit.

 

As she quietly closed the large door behind her, Haruka heard her name being called.

 

“Miss Nanami!”

 

Captain Ohgami was drifting down the hallway toward her, waving politely.

 

“Are you going to skip watching the rehearsal?” he asked curiously.

 

Haruka blushed red.

 

“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly- I need to be there, to support them...” she mumbled, her eyes trained on the floor.

 

Ohgami sighed lightly, and shrugged.

 

“If that’s what you want to do,” he said. “I was going to see if you wanted to see something interesting.” He smiled at Haruka, which only made her blush more.

 

“I found something I thought might catch your interest as a composer,” he wheedled, and wound up smiling to himself when he saw Haruka’s eyes light up.

 

“The boys won’t mind,” he added casually. “They all want you to have a good time here, too.”

 

That wasn’t even a lie. Syo, Tokiya, and Oyota had all mentioned Haruka’s lack of things to do here (or lack of things she was willing to do). Ohgami had taken it upon himself to check out a few things, in the hopes of entertaining her, and had been pleasantly successful.

 

“I suppose,” Haruka said doubtfully. Her voice was so quiet. Ohgami knew how attached she was to the members of STARISH, but he sincerely hoped that he could help change that. There had to be more to her life than them, no matter how wonderful they were.

 

Haruka was surprised (and pleased) to find that Ohgami was ever the gentleman, offering her his arm to walk with him of her own accord. Syo or Natsuki would have just grabbed her hand and dragged her along. Normally she didn’t mind, but sometimes it was nice being able to use her own feet.

 

As they walked off to Ohgami’s mystery destination, Haruka began to wonder where it was he was taking her. Something that would interest her as a composer, he had said. What on earth could he have found around here like that?

 

Ohgami led her around corners, down hallways, and even down a flight of stairs. They eventually came to a stop outside a door below the auditorium, next to the scenic workshop. Haruka blinked, confused. She didn’t recognize this door.

 

The captain smiled at her, and let go of her arm.

 

“While you’ve been so busy watching the rehearsals, I’ve had to find someone to talk to,” he explained. “I made some new friends, and they mentioned that they’d like to meet you.”

 

Haruka gaped, wide-eyed and baffled. Who on earth could possibly be interested in meeting her?

 

Ohgami rapped twice on the door with his knuckles, then opened it.

 

“I finally got her here!” he announced as he entered. He stepped aside to let Haruka in, and the sight that met her eyes was one she certainly hadn’t expected.

 

It was a music room, with two pianos, and a plethora of chairs and music stands, designed for musicians to practice in. Not only that, but there were even musicians! Seven of them, to be exact. Five men and two women, each wielding an instrument of some type.

 

Immediately, the young woman closest to her stood up. She was a slender redhead with golden eyes, and she wore a pale yellow sundress. She held a violin in her hands. The girl smiled, and Haruka immediately thought that she must have been just as beautiful as Tomochika.

 

The girl set down her violin, and offered her hand to Haruka.

 

“You must be Miss Nanami,” she said, her voice ringing like a bell. “I’m Hino Kahoko, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

Still a little shellshocked, Haruka shook her hand, then looked questioningly at Ohgami.

 

“This is the musical ensemble for the show,” he said brightly. “They’re from the music department at Seiso Academy. They’ll meet the rest of the cast when we get to the musical rehearsals, but for now, they’ve been practicing down here.”

 

Kahoko took Haruka’s hand again, wrapping it between her own two delicate hands.

 

“We’ve been so excited to meet a professional composer,” she said kindly. “Shall I introduce everyone?”

 

Blushing, Haruka nodded, unsure what else to do. She had never really thought of herself as a professional, but she supposed the term fit. It was just hard to feel like one of the pros when the only people you ever really saw were your own band.

 

Kahoko pointed to each person as she introduced them.

 

“This is Yunoki Azuma,” she said first, indicating a young man with long, violet hair and a white button-down shirt. “He plays the flute.”

 

The young man called Yunoki bowed politely.

 

“A pleasure, Miss Nanami,” he said smoothly.

 

“And this is Hihara Kazuki,” Kahoko continued. This time she pointed at a boy in layered t-shirts, with very tan skin and messy green hair. He held a trumpet in one hand, while he waved enthusiastically with the other.

 

“Nice to meet you!” he said cheerfully.

 

After that were Tsuchiura Ryotaro, the muscular, green-haired piano player, and Shimizu Keiichi, the sleepy-looking blonde cellist. They both nodded politely in her direction, though Shimizu took a few moments to stare at her before returning his attention to his cello. Something in his eyes reminded Haruka of Natsuki.

 

Last were Tsukimori Len, the other violinist, and Fuyuumi Shoko, the other girl in the group. She seemed rather shy, and held a clarinet in her hands. Tsukimori barely paid Haruka any heed, but Kahoko leaned over and whispered that she shouldn’t worry, he just didn’t care for meeting new people.

 

Most of them took to Haruka immediately, especially Kahoko and Fuyuumi. While Ohgami disappeared to chat with Hihara and Yunoki, the three girls talked incessantly. Kahoko in particular wanted to know everything about what Haruka did for a living, working with STARISH. She explained about her compositions, and both girls seemed to find it fascinating. When asked about their own music, they both said that they had never done anything like Haruka’s work.

 

“We’re classical performers,” Kahoko explained. “We usually just play what other composers have written. But it must be so lovely to write your own music!” Her eyes tok on a dreamy quality to match Shimizu’s.

 

“I’d give anything to be a composer,” she said wistfully. It was only when Fuyuumi placed a kind hand on her arm that Kahoko returned to the real world, giggling.

 

“But I suppose I have to be a proper violinist first,” she finished.

 

For the rest of the afternoon, Haruka stayed with the ensemble. She found that getting to know them was easier than it had been to get to know STARISH. Idols, by nature, were a bit flashy and in-your-face. These musicians were much calmer, and quieter. Only Hihara really spoke up much, he and Ohgami were easily the loudest in the room.

 

For the first time since arriving at the Imperial Theater, Haruka truly felt comfortable. Talking to Kahoko was almost like talking to Tomo-chan, whom she sorely missed. After a while, the musicians insisted that they did actually have to practice, and Haruka was completely fascinated by their music. She had heard classical music before, of course, but it was a different experience to hear it played for her by a live ensemble. Haruka spent the entire time wishing she could play half as well as Tsuchiura could.

 

All of them were sad to part when it was time for dinner, but Haruka apologized profusely and said that she really needed to get back to STARISH.

 

Kahoko smiled, and said, “You’re welcome to come back any time. If not, we’ll see you in music rehearsals, right?”

 

Haruka nodded enthusiastically, and bid them all a fond farewell. The smile on her face would stay there for a while, she was certain.

 

As she and Ohgami left, headed for the dining hall, the tall young man grinned at her.

 

“So what did you think?” he asked. “Are you glad you skipped out?”

 

After a moment, Haruka nodded.

 

“I like them a lot,” she said quietly, but her tone was so happy that Ohgami knew he had done well. “I’ve never met anyone like them before. Are all classical musicians like that?”

 

Ohgami shrugged.

 

“I don’t know. These are the only ones I’ve ever met. They are really nice, though, I’m glad you got along.” He met her eyes, his smile still firmly in place. “I just thought you seemed a little lonely, and might need someone to talk to.”

 

“Kahoko-chan is very sweet,” Haruka said, as a bit of an afterthought. “And Fuyuumi-san is very pleasant as well.” She went on to mention how talented Tsuchiura was, and that sparked a conversation that lasted all the way to dinner.

 

Just before they entered the hall, Haruka paused.

 

“Thank you, Ohgami-san,” she said softly. “I had a very good time today.”

 

Ohgami just shrugged at her.

 

“I’m glad you did,” he said. “Maybe now you won’t be so bored during the day.”

 

Both smiling like a couple of fools, Haruka and Ohgami went in to dinner.

 

~*~

 

“Haruka wasn’t in rehearsal today,” Syo noted as he stared down the table at Haruka. She was talking animatedly with Kanna and Kohran. “She seems....livelier than usual.”

 

Natuski grinned at his friend.

 

“Syo-chaaaan, are you jealous?” he asked in his most annoying singsong voice, which earned him a smack on the head.

 

“Of course not!” Syo insisted, but the blush in his cheeks gave him away.

 

“I don’t know what she did,” Natsuki said dreamily, “But she looks happier than ever.”

 

Syo simply nodded, poking absentmindedly at his food. He smiled down at his plate.

 

“Yeah, she does,” he said quietly to himself.

 

~*~

 

The following morning at breakfast, the drama of the day before was instantly forgotten.

 

Otoya came racing into the hall, his cell phone in his hand, and a wide grin spread across his face.

 

“They’re back!” he hollered joyously. “Finally!”

 

Ren leaned back in his chair as the entire room graced the hyperactive Otoya with puzzled expressions.

 

“Otoya, what in the world are you talking about? It’s too early for this,” he drawled lazily.

 

Not fazed in the slightest, Otoya just dropped into his chair, a triumphant and smug look on his face.

 

“I just thought you might want to know that Quartet Night’s tour is finishing up,” he said airily. “They’re back in Japan, and they happen to be performing their final show here at the capital tomorrow night.”

 

The members of STARISH (and Haruka) traded apprehensive looks. Generally, their relationship with their mentors was tenuous at best, but the idea of some familiar faces was admittedly appealing to all of them.

 

“They’ve invited us to come,” Otoya added, indicating his phone to imply that he had been texting Reiji. “And with our distinguished guests, no less. VIP’s, backstage passes, the whole shebang.”

 

He glanced at Sakura, remembering what Reiji had said about he and Camus being fans of the Flower Division. Truthfully, the amount of fame in that room between STARISH and the Flower Division could have gotten them all in without VIP passes, but better safe than sorry.

 

“Quartet Night?” Sakura asked, completely bewildered.

 

“They’re another performing group, like STARISH,” Tokiya explained, “Also employed by the Shining Agency.”

 

“I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never listened to the music,” Ohgami mused thoughtfully.

 

“You should all come with us to the show!” Otoya said excitedly. “It’ll be after rehearsal ends anyway, so there’s no reason not to.”

 

“It sounds like so much fun!” Sakura squealed. “I’ve always wanted to go to a concert.”

 

At that, the entire STARISH company’s jaws dropped.

 

“You’ve never been to a concert?” Syo asked in a dangerously soft tone.

 

“N-no,” Sakura said sheepishly, a blush creeping across her face. “I don’t think any of us have. Except...Sumire? Have you ever been to a concert?”

 

The brunette sniffed dramatically.

 

“Of course not,” she said loftily. “Not of the variety you’re talking about. I only go to classical concerts and the opera.”

 

Kanna snorted. “Good time for you to do something new then, Cactus Woman.”

 

Sumire’s eyes flashed at the sound of her hated nickname, but Maria spoke up before she could start an argument.

 

“I think this would be a wise networking decision,” she said calmly. “As we are expected to remain in the visible performance sphere, it is only fitting that we should make more friends in the industry.”

 

Kanna, Sumire, and Sakura all stared at her. Maria, of all people, wanted to make new friends? Sakura thought she could feel hell freezing over.

 

“It’s settled then!” Otoya crowed. “We’ll all go to the concert tomorrow night. You girls will love it!”

 

From the look on Sumire’s face, she wasn’t so sure, but she resigned herself to it.

 

_They can’t be any worse than these idiots,_ she reasoned....

 


	7. Lovers and Idols

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 7: Lovers and Idols

 

The roof of the Imperial Theater had a very gradual slope to it, which made it easier for Ren to climb up without falling, even in the orange glare of sundown. For such a large building, the frustrated young man couldn’t believe how stifling it was. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t focus, he couldn’t even _breathe_. At this point, it seemed that the roof might be the only place he could get some space. He felt as though he were being assaulted from both sides.

 

It had taken a bit, but Ren was finally able to admit that Sumire’s words stung him almost as badly as Masato’s attitude. What had he done to either of them that was out of the ordinary? He thought angrily, sweeping his strawberry-blonde locks out of his face.

 

Jinguji Ren had always been a people person. His charming personality gained him friends wherever he went, usually whether he liked it or not. This new, cold reaction he was getting was unfamiliar and unpleasant. Never would he say it aloud, but Ren _needed_ that attention, that love. It was what gave him the strength to face each day, and not run away. Confident as he appeared, Ren was startlingly close to the breaking point.

 

_“I told you. It’s all just for kicks.”_

_“I’m sorry to hear that. I took you for somebody with more spirit.”_

 

Ren clenched his fists around the saxophone in his hands, not worrying that he might damage it. Masa had always been there to challenge Ren when he needed it, had been the support system he needed when everyone else failed him. Ren knew that most people saw him as a serious, staunch person who had no feelings, but that was only part of who he was. He chose to be that way. It was how he expressed himself. Out of friendship, he would say what needed to be said, or often in Ren’s case, what needed to be heard.

 

Why, then, was he acting so differently this time? Ordinarily, Masa would have shown absolutely no sign of distress or annoyance until he was ready to punch Ren in the face. Literally. He wore the finest mask Ren had seen in anyone. This time, however, it was the exact opposite. Masa appeared to have given up on hiding his true feelings, and was showing all of the anger and coldness of the wronged, without being so kind as to explain himself at all. He just wasn’t saying _anything._

 

Didn’t he realize how difficult that made things?

 

Ren took a deep breath, trying to banish thoughts of Masa from his mind. There was no helping the situation, Masa wouldn’t talk until he was ready. Waiting on him to make his move was foolish at best.

 

Raising his sax to his lips, Ren let the only tune he could think of ring out across the sky.

 

It was a slow, somewhat mournful tune, one that Ren had always found gripped the soul in an uncomfortable yet enticing way. It was called “Nature Boy”, and was a rather famous song that had made its way through many jazz artists over time.

 

As the youngest Jinguji poured his soul into the music, for lack of anywhere better to put it, he tried to let every feeling he’d ever had become lost on the wind that blew through his hair. If he could simply stop feeling, all of this would disappear.

 

The words of the song rang in his mind even as he played, and sad as they were, those lyrics soothed him.

 

_There was a boy..._   
_A very strange enchanted boy_   
_They say he wandered very far, very far_   
_Over land and sea_   
_A little shy and sad of eye_   
_But very wise was he_

 

Slowly- very slowly –Ren came to realize that the lyrics he heard in his mind were not in his mind at all. They drifted on the wind with the notes he played, a soft, lilting voice that pierced Ren’s heart differently than any voice he’d ever heard before.

 

Glancing down, Ren saw a lone figure standing at a window on the floor below, the sheer white curtains blowing in the breeze. Silhouetted by the sunset, it was impossible not to recognize that figure.

 

_“And then one day,”_ Sumire sang softly, _“One magic day, he passed my way. And as we spoke of many things, fools and kings, this he said to me...”_

 

Ren couldn’t believe his ears. He had heard Sumire sing before, once or twice, practicing for the show, but this was so dramatically different. Tonight she sang for herself, not for an audience. Her voice was smooth and sultry, she sounded almost haunted. It was the way that song was meant to be sung, as if it had been written just for Sumire.

 

Struck by her appearance, Ren had to remind himself to keep playing. As Sumire slowly looked up and met his eyes, he kept her eye contact. He delivered every note of the final line with the feelings he’d been holding in all this time. Through one simple line of music, Ren confessed his heart to her. He told her everything, nothing held back. All of his worries, his stresses, his fears. She wanted to know who he was....and he told her.

 

_“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn...”_

 

She kept pace with him, unafraid and unashamed.

 

_“...is just to love, and be loved in return....”_

 

When Ren put aside his saxophone, he found that his chest had become uncomfortably tight, and he struggled to breathe. What had that witch done to him? First she captured his heart by using the tricks of the trade that _he_ excelled at, then struck him down with no reservation. And now this?

 

He took a deep breath, trying to regain some feeling in his lungs. Sumire vanished from her window, closing the shutters. Moments later, he light went out.

 

Ren ran his fingers through his hair.

 

He could not make this woman out to save his life.

 

Perhaps that was why he found her so addictive.

 

~*~

 

The following day dragged on at the pace of a snail, in most of the cast’s opinions. Rehearsals were awful, considering that Ren and Masa were still at silent odds with one another, Sakura and Otoya were too excited about the impending concert to focus, and Syo and Cecil were having trouble concentrating while they wondered what Haruka was up to. She had vanished again, leaving much up to the imagination.

 

Eventually, Mitsuki-san threw up her hands in exasperation.

 

“What is _wrong_ with all of you today?” she demanded, her hands on her hips. “You’d think we’d just started rehearsing, the way you’re all so distracted.”

 

“I’m so sorry, Mitsuki-san!” Sakura said hurriedly. “We just have- an exciting evening planned.”

 

Mitsuki sighed, and glanced at her watch. They still had an hour to go before the cast was officially released, but at this rate, she couldn’t imagine they would get anything done.

 

“Tell you what,” she said resignedly. “I’ll let you all out now if you pay me back with an extra hour on Thursday.”

 

Otoya’s and Sakura’s eyes lit up like fireworks.

 

“ARIGATOU, MISTUKI-SAN!” they chorused, grinning from ear to ear. Realizing that they had said the same thing, Otoya turned to look at Sakura, and they both blushed crimson.

 

The cast slowly dispersed to get ready to go to the concert.

 

An hour or so later, when they all arrived downstairs to wait for their ride, the ever-stylish Syo found himself surprised at his companions’ attire. The girls he had been sure wouldn’t have a clue what to wear, but they seemed to have made out alright. Sakura wore a shirt white pleated skirt with a pink shirt and white vest, which Syo felt complimented her figure much better than her usual loose traditional clothes. She looked a bit self-conscious, but Syo gestured to her clothes and shot her a thumbs-up, which earned him a grateful smile.

 

The others had managed to clean up nicely too. Kanna wore black jeans, a red top, fingerless gloves, and a studded belt, which worked very well with her flaming hair. Maria had put on a small navy blue dress with white trim that hugged her curves perfectly. Iris had foregone her usual frills in light of the anticipated crowd of people, and wore a blue and red overalls outfit, plus an adorable little red cap to cover her hair. She still held Jean-Paul tightly, and Syo fervently prayed that she wouldn’t lose him. Kohran had a pair of green cargo pants and a simple orange t-shirt.

 

It was so odd seeing them all in plain street clothes. Up till now, the members of STARISH had only ever seen the Flower Division here in their home, which was admittedly very different from theirs. They all dressed very...uniquely, most of the time. Seeing them like this was a rare treat.

 

Syo glanced around and noticed that they were still missing two. Everyone was here but Ohgami and Sumire. Had they changed their minds about coming?

 

“Cecil,” Syo asked. “Was the captain going to come?”

 

The brown-haired youth nodded.

 

“He just had to speak to the lieutenant before we left,” he explained, just as both of their missing people appeared at the top of the steps.

 

Sakura and Haruka let out audible gasps.

 

Sumire looked nothing short of drop dead gorgeous. She wore a black minidress with heeled boots, a black sash around her neck, and a small silver clutch tucked under one arm, as if she had stepped straight out of a fashion magazine. Behind her, Ohgami looked downright plain in his simple sleeveless t-shirt and jeans.

 

Sumire sniffed when she saw everyone staring.

 

“You didn’t expect anything less, did you?” she asked disdainfully.

 

“The cars are here,” Otoya called from the doorway, catching everyone’s attention. They shuffled outside, where both STARISH and HEAVENS’ limousines stood waiting for them.

 

~*~

 

The first thought to cross Sakura’s mind as they entered the arena was just how _enormous_ the place was. She clung to Otoya’s arm with one hand, terrified of becoming separated in the large crowd. The other hand held Iris. There were hundreds, no, _thousands_ of people here for this concert.

 

The place was built like a hockey arena, with the stage set up at one end of the room. There was tiered seating around the sides, but also a large block of floor seating. It was to the front of this block that Otoya led them, carefully winding his way through all the people pushing and shoving.

 

“Front row,” he called to his group, and most of them nodded in reply.

 

When they had found their seats, the girls began staring around with wide eyes. Kanna surveyed the crowd, while Maria’s eyes were set on the lighting truss hung above them, where all of the stage lights were affixed. It was much more elaborate than the simple rack of lights at the Imperial Theater.

 

Iris and Sakura gushed with each other about the concert itself, wondering what kind of show it was going to be. While he knew the artists, Otoya admitted to having never actually been to one of Quartet Night’s shows before. They were usually busy. He couldn’t tell them what it was going to be like.

 

The lights went down and back up, signaling for everyone to reach their seats, because the concert was starting. Instantly Sakura’s hand went back to Otoya’s arm, gripping it tight in anticipation. Her eyes shone with excitement.

 

The lights went out.

 

The crowd waited with bated breath....

 

Fog from fog machines rolled across the stage, as the excited crowd took up a cheer.

 

They heard a single sound from the synthesizer system, one single phrase, before the whole room exploded with noise.

 

_Get another boyfriend_.

 

Instantly, four spotlights appeared on the stage, each silhouetting a member of Quartet Night. They were all dressed in some combination of black and silver. To the far right was Camus, his long blonde hair fallen forward to mask half of his face. Next to him was Ranmaru, who stared straight at the audience with his unnerving heterochromatic eyes- the stare of a demon. Then there was Reiji, who used the brim of his hat to dramatically shield his eyes. Last was delicate little Ai, whose gaze traveled to his compatriots on the stage.

 

The song started with a synthesized techno melody, which quickly became a full rhythm line.

 

The girls screamed for them as the song took off. Their dancing was, as always, impeccably sharp.

 

It all started with Ranmaru.

 

_“Let’s talk about one, baby, you’ve got to hear me out,”_ he sang, his rough voice making girls across the audience swoon. _“Do you really wanna be the last to know what it’s all about?”_

_“Let’s talk about who,”_ Camus added, _“You say is the essence of your life. But he’ll eat you up from inside, slow, and then he doesn’t wanna know.”_

 

_“I’m telling you he’ll eat you up from inside,”_ chorused Reiji and Ai, _“And then he doesn’t wanna know!”_

 

It was darker, edgier than Poison Kiss had been, but not by much. Already the STARISH members could tell that this was the real potential their collective _senpai_ had. While Poison Kiss had been a demonstration, a moment to show off, this right here was the reason why Quartet Night were idols. This was their stage, and they ruled it without question.

 

_“Listen, I mean it, there's nothing that he's worthy of_   
_He's just another playa', playing in the name of love_   
_I've seen enough, now this must come to an end_   
_Get another boyfriend!”_

 

Otoya found himself captivated. He could hear them all in this song. Camus was the gentleman, the one who saw through masks and exposed the corrupt. Ranmaru was the muscle man, the one who couldn’t wait to find the offender and break his knees. Reiji sweetly begged, the kind friend who only wants what’s best for everyone. Ai was the clear-sighted, the one who knew how it would all end. He was the prophet foretelling the storm, his cold turquoise eyes fathoms deep.

 

As Reiji and Ai took the second verse into a lighter harmony, a crowd of excited girls pooled into the free space between the first row and the stage edge. Reiji, ever the flirt, played along, reaching out his hand that the girls might touch him.

 

Otoya felt something crash into his side, making him stumble. When he looked, he saw that someone had pushed little Iris out of the way to get past her, sending her into Otoya. She met his eyes, and the redhead realized that not only had she been shoved, but now all of these fangirls had crowded in front of her and were preventing the small girl from being able to see the stage.

 

Glancing around, Otoya searched for Kanna, whom he knew would have no problem picking Iris up, but she was at the other end of the group, too far away to reach easily.

 

Before he could think of anything else, a blonde head dipped into sight. Natsuki, seeing Iris’ distress, leaned down to speak to her. Otoya couldn’t hear him over the sound of the amplifiers, but he seemed to be asking for Iris’ permission to pick her up. She nodded, and the next thing they knew, she and Jean-Paul had a perch atop the tall bespectacled man’s shoulders. Her face lit up, not knowing that Natsuki had a matching smile on his face.

 

Otoya grinned. He turned back to the show, and saw Sakura’s smiling face. She had seen the proceedings too.

 

At that moment, the sound from the stage suddenly stopped after the second chorus. Ranmaru’s voice rang out in a wordless note that made half the room’s hearts stop, including Sakura’s. He led into a bridge, carried by a harmony between himself and Reiji.

 

_“Hear me out, if you must know_  
 _What it's all about_  
 _He's just a playa in love  
_ _This must come to an end.”_

 

The bridge transitioned into a battle of the verses, between the chorus and the bridge. Ranmaru and Camus took the lower, more strident chorus, while Reiji and Ai sang the higher, more melodious bridge. The two parts fit together perfectly, rising and falling in a delightful alternating pattern.

 

Ai’s soprano rose high above them all, his melody almost desperate in its sadness. The whole thing was beautiful, edgy, a musical contrast between light and dark. It was like nothing STARISH had ever done, but it suited Quartet Night perfectly.

 

A loud cheer rose up from the fans as the song came to an end. Reiji raised his mic and smiled at the audience.

 

“Buonasera, Tokyo!” he said, surveying the crowd as if looking at each fan individually. “We are Quartet Night, and we have something very special for you this evening!”

 

The girls cheered louder and louder.

 

“Tonight we have a few special guests we’d like to recognize,” said Ranmaru, his voice reverberating through the room.

 

Everyone in the front row froze. Most of the blood drained from their faces.

 

“In the audience tonight, we have two guest groups whom we are honored to entertain,” said Ai, flipping his turquoise bangs out of his face.

 

Reiji grinned devilishly.

 

“I don’t suppose any of you darlings happen to be _STARISH_ fans, hm?” he taunted.

 

As predicted, spotlights immediately lit up the front row, and the members of STARISH were obligated to wave politely as their faces appeared on the big screens on either side of the stage. The girls screamed wildly, all of them amazed at the presence of not one but _two_ of their favorite pop groups in one room.

 

Reiji laughed.

 

“I thought so!”

 

Ranmaru stepped forward.

 

“But there’s room for more than just popstars in this arena, ne?” he said airily. “Camus, tell then who else is here.”

 

The elegant blonde smiled. It might have been the first smile Otoya had ever seen on the man.

 

“I have the great pleasure of introducing to you all,” he said smoothly, “The capital’s greatest acting troupe, The Imperial Flower Division!”

 

Again, lights and cameras, as the fans cheered. Sakura looked somewhat embarrassed, but she waved and put a smile on her face anyway. It was the least she could do.

 

Ai spoke once more.

 

“For our next song, we’ll be slowing down just a bit,” he said, and the audience hushed themselves, buzzing with light chatter. What were they going to do? everyone was asking.

 

“We dedicate this song to the beautiful ladies of the Flower Division,” said Camus quietly. “For they are truly the treasure of Japan.”

 

It began with a slow guitar part, as the members of Quartet Night spread out across the stage. Camus and Ai took the center, with Reiji and Ranmaru on the edges, as the melodious ballad began.

 

_“I know sometimes you feel like you don't fit in_   
_And this world doesn't know what you have within_   
_When I look at you, I see something rare_   
_A rose that can grow anywhere (grow anywhere)_   
_And there's no one I know that can compare...”_

 

The entire audience was dumbstruck. They had never heard Quartet Night perform a ballad before. It was new territory, but it was so beautiful that no one disapproved. For once it was Camus who sang the central solo, with Ai, Reiji, and Ranmaru providing backing vocals. Every girl in the room felt like they were singing a love song just for her...and in the front row, for one girl, it was true.

 

Sakura felt tears well up in her eyes. She had never been serenaded by- well, anyone, before. Kanna, Maria, and Kohran all looked speechless. Iris and Natsuki swayed back and forth in place, and Iris had her eyes closed, listening carefully. She smiled, and everyone could see that she loved what she heard. Sumire showed no visible sign of emotion, but she had extracted her fan from her clutch and was using it to veil her face.

 

_“So come as you are, you've got nothing to prove_   
_You've won me with all that you do_   
_And I want to take this chance to say to you...”_   


From the stage, mid-song, Reiji winked very subtly at someone in the front row.

  
_“What makes you different makes you beautiful_   
_What's there inside you shines through to me  
_ _In your eyes I see all the love I'll ever need..."_

 

Sakura felt a hand brush against hers. She looked up, her face stained with happy tears, and found only Otoya’s smiling face. He reached forward hesitantly, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

 

“Sakura-chan,” he whispered, taking her hand. “Please...smile for me?”           

 

She laughed in spite of herself, trying to choke back her tears as she let a trembling smile cross her face. It was so funny, that he should ask her to smile, she thought, when it was all she could do not to smile every time she saw him.

 

Otoya leaned closer, ever so carefully, and caressed Sakura’s beautiful long black hair. She used her free hand to grab his, so they held onto each other with all that they had.

 

Iris politely covered Natsuki’s eyes so he wouldn’t make a fuss when their lips met.

 

~*~

 

“Otoyaaaaaaan! Tokiii!”

 

The moment the extended STARISH group arrived backstage, Reiji threw himself at his kouhai, enveloping them in a forceful hug. Unnerved, Tokiya shoved the smaller man off, but Otoya laughed and hugged him back.

 

“What did you think of the show?” Reiji asked, releasing his little buddy and stepping back to look at them all. “I hope we didn’t embarrass you too much.”

 

Behind him, Ranmaru snorted. He lay stretched out on the couch, a bottle of water in one hand. Camus and Ai were perched at a counter-height table next to him.

 

“Of course we embarrassed them,” Ranmaru said smugly. “That was the point.”

 

“Oh no, of course not!” Sakura cried, the brightest smile on her face. “It was so lovely of you, I don’t know how to thank you.”

 

Instantly, Camus was on his feet. “On the contrary, Miss Shinguji,” he said, bowing politely. “It was our pleasure.”

 

Tokiya cleared his throat, and with a solemn tone, made the formal introductions.

 

“Ladies, I present the members of Quartet Night,” he said. “Kotobuki Reiji, Mikaze Ai, Kurosaki Ranmaru, and Camus of Permafrost.”

 

They all bowed when they heard their names, minus Ranmaru, who simply grunted.

 

“Your show was so wonderful,” Sakura said breathlessly. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

 

She smiled at Otoya, and added, “I’m so glad Ittoki-san invited us to come along.”

 

Reiji and Ranmaru exchanged furtive glances.

 

“But of course, we put on the best show possible, considering our favorite actresses were in the audience,” Reiji said lightly. “We have always been highly impressed with Flower Division performances.”

 

He casually swiped his wavy brown hair out of his eyes.

 

“You deserved no less than our full attention.”

 

Most of the girls- meaning everyone but Maria and Sumire –gasped.

 

“We’re- what?” Sakura squeaked, looking like she might well faint. In response, Reiji just threw his head back and laughed.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fluster you,” he said, chuckling. “But it is the truth.”

 

He shrugged lightly.

 

“I didn’t know pop stars went to the theater,” Kohran commented. “Don’t you all have more important things to do?”

 

This time it was Reiji and Camus who exchanged looks.

 

“The mark of a true idol is diversity in all things,” Camus said calmly.

 

“Oh yes, I’m sure there are a number of things about us that would surprise you,” added Reiji in a airy tone. “You should really stay and chat for a bit, come on in and get comfortable.”

 

There was no polite way to refuse, not that anyone really wanted to. The girls scooted in to make room for one another and settled in to socialize. Reiji kicked Ranmaru off the couch so that Sakura, Sumire, and Haruka could sit down, while Maria and Kanna took up customary positions standing near the wall. The boys scattered around the floor, and Iris climbed happily into Natsuki’s lap, earning raised eyebrows all around. He didn’t seem bothered at all, but just smiled to himself and wrapped his arms around her. It was like an infinity effect, with Natsuki hugging Iris and Iris hugging Jean-Paul.

 

As Syo perched himself on the armrest on Haruka’s end of the couch, his eyes swept the room. When he realized something was off, he had to double-take.

 

“Where’d Ren disappear to?” he asked curiously. Instantly, the entire group began staring around.

 

“Masa-chan is gone too,” Natsuki said thoughtfully. “You don’t think they got lost, do you?”

 

Syo laughed hollowly. “The way they’ve been acting lately,” he said, “I doubt being lost is what held them up.”

 

His words seemed almost prophetic, two minutes later, when the conversation was interrupted by a loud crashing sound from the hallway outside. Sakura and Haruka jumped, and Syo was on his feet in a splitsecond. He, Kanna, Reiji, and Tokiya hit the hallway as fast as they could, sprinting at top speed while the others followed in a somewhat more orderly fashion.

 

Tokiya had a sinking feeling in his stomach that told him he was most likely not going to like what they found.

 

As it turned out, he was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics credits to:
> 
> "Nature Boy", Natalie Cole  
> "Get Another Boyfriend", Backstreet Boys  
> "What Makes You Different (Makes You Beautiful)", Backstreet Boys


	8. Ex-Friends and Sweethearts

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 8: Ex-Friends and Sweethearts

 

Somehow, along the way from their seats to the backstage area, Masato and Ren had gotten detained. As their colleagues raced down the hallway, searching for their friends, they hoped beyond hope that the two hadn’t managed to spark anything yet. Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite the case.

 

At the end of the hall, they found Ren pressed against the wall, his blonde hair in a tangled mess, and Masato’s hands at his throat. Ren had managed to capture his former best friend’s wrists, and was holding him back as best he could, but the look in Masa’s eyes was absolutely murderous. That said, Ren himself didn’t look too happy to be there either. Slowly, he forced Masato back. They stood there, frozen in mid-grapple, their strength surprisingly even.

 

Syo, Tokiya, Kanna, and Reiji got there first, but Syo kept Kanna from interfering, just until they found out what was happening. He wasn’t sure this was just any old fistfight. Ren and Masa had never physically assaulted one another to his knowledge, so there had to be something very wrong here. Syo, Kanna, and Reiji all looked to Tokiya, wondering what they should do.

 

“Masa, let go of Jinguji,” Tokiya commanded quietly, but his words went unheeded. His attention remained focused on Ren, who glared at him with all the power he could muster. Ren forcefully kneed his friend in the gut, sending him reeling backward, but that was hardly the end of it. Jinguji dove forward and grabbed Masa by the front of his shirt, dragging him closer, as the rest of their group arrived, gasping in shock.

 

“What should we do?” Sakura cried, as Haruka uselessly pleaded for her friends to stop fighting, now.

 

Without a word, Ranmaru edged his way between the girls and strode forward. He seemed completely calm. He reached forward and snatched both young men by the back of their collars, forcibly dragging them apart. He shook the pair of them like puppies that had torn up his newspaper, his heterochromatic eyes narrowed in controlled fury.

 

“This is not the way idols settle our affairs,” he growled, glaring at his rogue kouhai. The crowd watched with bated breath, the air having gone suddenly very cold.

 

Masa spit out a mouthful of blood, leaving the group to assume that Ren had, at some point, punched him in the jaw. Similarly, Ren was beginning to show the signs of a lovely black eye.

 

Ranmaru released the quarrelling pair, but remained between them, lest they should start again. Both were breathing heavily, but the raw rage was at last fading from their faces. Masa wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, while Ren adjusted his shirt.

 

“You bring shame and dishonor to yourselves and your friends,” Ranmaru spat. “That sort of behavior has no place here. Behave, or get out.”

 

Tears involuntarily filled Haruka’s eyes as she watched the hate that burned in Ren’s eyes. He was at the end of his rope.

 

“I’ve had it,” he rasped, causing the entire hall’s attention to shift to him. “I’ve had... _enough_...of whatever this is.” His eyes were bloodshot, and his scratchy voice sounded as if he were a chain smoker. The smooth-talking prince of song had become a man of infinite torment, in the space of an hour.

 

“Oh, _you’re_ tired of it?” Masa demanded, his tone harsher than any had heard from him before. His hands were balled into fists, and he took obviously labored breaths.

 

“You are hardly in a position to have ‘had enough’ with anything,” he snapped. “I suppose your massive ego doesn’t bother you the way it does everyone else. No, you’re perfectly happy to trample upon everything others think, or feel, so long as it doesn’t bother _you._ ”

 

Everyone gasped in surprise. Masato wasn’t the kind of person to go throwing accusations in public, this was a side of him none had ever seen before. They didn’t quite know what to do about it. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

 

“Is _that_ what you’re so upset about?” Ren cried incredulously, staring at his friend as if he had grown two heads. “Are you really to the point of physical violence because of my _ego_?”

 

Masa nodded curtly. “It never occurred to you that I might have a breaking point, I see,” he hissed.

 

“I certainly didn’t think you’d get to it without once saying a word to me,” Ren countered, crossing his arms over his chest. That black eye was darkening by the minute, but his stance had begun to resemble his usual cocky pose.

 

“Normally, Masa, when people have problems with one another, they attempt to use words before fists,” Ren said pointedly.

 

“Because you’ve always heard every word I say,” Masa said sarcastically. “I didn’t feel the need to waste my breath just to be ignored again, if it’s all the same to you.”

 

Ren’s eyes flashed, and he quickly turned his gaze to the floor.

 

“Is that really what you think of me?” he asked bitterly. “After all this time...Masa, how could you think such a thing?”

 

Almost as if there weren’t enough energy for both of them at once, as Ren backed down, Masa really hit his stride.

 

“You’ve never given me any reason to think otherwise,” Masato said coldly. “You spend all of your time with your distractions, your women and your modeling. You don’t take anything seriously, least of all me. Or do I need to begin again by citing every instance over the past month where you’ve thrown me under the bus for your own sake?”

 

Everyone in the room was struck speechless, especially Ren. He reached behind him, searching for the sturdy wall at his back, feeling attacked from every angle.

 

“I apologize,” he whispered, “-if the way I live my life is so offensive to you. I assure you, I do not spend my every waking hour thinking of ways to make you miserable.” He angrily batted his hair out of his eyes, and trained his best death glare on Masato.

 

“The next time you have a problem with me,” Ren said, his voice resonating in his chest with a rumble to rival Ranmaru’s, “I would appreciate if you would say something more clearly to me before deciding to blacken my eye. I do have a reputation to uphold.”

 

He and Masato held locked gazes for several silent minutes, before Masa gave up. He turned on his heel and, without a word, disappeared down the hallway toward the exit, away from everyone. Ren simply raked his hand through his hair, attempting to calm his rather worked-up attitude before it caused any more problems.

 

The next action was a complete surprise to almost everyone.

 

“Kanna.”

 

At the sound of her name, Kanna’s eyes snapped up, and she met the level gaze of Maria, who had called her. Then, understanding, she nodded. Saying nothing, the martial artist took off down the hall after Masato.

 

Sakura opened her mouth as if to protest, but Maria just shook her head. She would explain later, if necessary. Everyone seemed somewhat baffled by the mostly silent exchange, but with the way the evening was going so far, no one had any better ideas.

 

Those who remained stared at Ren for a moment, until Reiji diplomatically attempted to diffuse the situation by offering to take everyone out for ice cream.

 

“It hardly seems like the time for it, I know,” he said apologetically, “But attention will only make matters worse. I imagine we all need to cool off, and what better way than ice cream?”

 

Slowly, the group murmured their assent, though worried looks adorned every face.

 

“Poor Jinguji-san,” Haruka murmured, her eyes brimming with tears. “And Hijirikawa-san too. I hope they can work things out.”

 

A warm arm encircled her shoulders.

 

“Don’t worry about them,” Syo told her quietly. “Masa’s stronger than he looks.”

 

“He’s right,” Otoya chimed in, throwing his own arm around Sakura, who looked like she might burst into tears at any moment as well. “They’ll be okay.”

 

For all of their pretty words, Syo and Otoya locked eyes over the girls’ heads, and knew instantly that neither of them was as confident as they sounded. There was a possibility that this was one problem no one would be able to solve.

 

~*~

 

“That was a hell of a beating you gave him.”

 

Outside the arena, Kanna collapsed onto the grass beside Masato. He was staring at the sky, eyes focused intently on the stars. That made things easier, Kanna reasoned with herself. She wasn’t planning on being the best person to understand Hijirikawa’s point of view here, but if they both liked stargazing, that was something to start with.

 

Masa said nothing, only sighed and pointedly looked away from her. He was clearly uninterested in her help, or the help of anyone else for that matter. That was part of what had gone into Maria and Kanna’s decision to send her after him. Kanna didn’t much care if he wanted her input, he was going to get it anyway.

 

“He’ll have that shiner for a while,” Kanna continued, stretching out comfortably with her hands behind her head. “Director’s not gonna like it, but it should be gone by showtime.”

 

“He deserves it.”

 

Masato’s voice was a quiet whisper, but he sounded like he was still holding a lot if his rage captive in his heart. Kanna could hear it. He wasn’t just bitter on the surface, this pain he was experiencing sounded like a pretty deep wound.

 

Kanna chuckled.

 

“Yeah, I bet he does. He strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn’t know when he’s in over his head and just keeps digging the hole deeper. Dense, you know?” She breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the grass, and the smell of water in the air from a nearby fountain. She carefully blocked out the sounds of the people rushing by on the street, headed to shows, or bars, or whatever could capture their interest downtown at night.

 

“He really did look like he had no idea why you were pissed, though,” Kanna said quietly. She wanted to prove a point, but there would be no helping her if she managed to anger Hijirikawa further. He was difficult enough to communicate with as it was.

 

“How could he not know?” Masato asked bitterly. It sounded like a rhetorical question, but Kanna answered anyway.

 

“Did you ever say anything to him?” she asked simply, rolling onto her side to face him. Masa’s gaze remained firmly on the sky, but she knew he was listening. “I mean, he’s known for a while that you were annoyed, but what was he going to do with just that?”

 

Masa didn’t answer. Kanna knew then that part of the reason he was so angry was because he never said anything. It was a dilemma she was all too familiar with, which was why she was here.

 

Kanna flopped back onto her back, and tried to find some of her favorite constellations.

 

“He infuriating,” Masato mumbled. “All he ever does is look for ways to make himself look better, at the expense of those around him. He doesn’t _think_. He’s rude, insulting, sometimes I wonder if he even knows the people around him are humans too. He just assumes that the entire world will go along with his egotistical fantasy.”

 

“Including you,” Kanna inferred.

 

“Including me,” Masato confirmed.

 

That explained a lot more than it didn’t. Obviously Masato didn’t appreciate Ren’s behavior, and the lack of change on Ren’s part made him feel taken advantage of and unappreciated. There was only one thing missing- Masa had never said anything directly to Ren’s face. He was such a conservative and reserved person, he probably made a few assumptions of his own and figured Ren would see his own mistake. But that didn’t happen, and therein lay the conflict.

 

“I think you’ve got a better friend than you’re giving him credit for,” Kanna said to Masa, her voice softer than usual. “But you can’t expect him to be perfect without a little help. Everyone needs a little help sometimes.”

 

At that, Masa snorted.

 

“Not Jinguji,” he said, choking back his cynical laughter. “That idiot can command the attention of a room by flipping his hair, what on earth could he need me for.”

 

Sighing, Kanna shrugged.

 

“Maybe so,” she said, “-but that doesn’t mean he sees what’s in it. People like him, they- we’re loud and flashy by nature, because it’s easier for us to talk than to see. Jinguji’s action-oriented, but that makes him a lot blinder than he knows.”

 

This time it was Masato’s turn to roll over, staring at Kanna with one eyebrow raised in surprise.

 

“We?” he asked quietly.

 

Kanna nodded.

 

“Yeah. I guess I see where he’s coming from,” she said with a shrug. “We’re a lot alike, me and him. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on his side of this argument. Comes with the territory, when you get close to people like you, or like Maria with me. It’s always hard, convincing someone that you just don’t see things the same way.”

 

She chuckled softly, remembering the many times she’d been in the doghouse with the ice queen over the last few years. Most of them were in the ‘rude joke’ department. Maria just didn’t appreciate Kanna’s humor, and Kanna couldn’t for the life of her figure out why being funny was so offensive. These occurrences had lessened over time, but no one was perfect all the time. It had taken a while to convince Maria that Kanna really was as dumb as she sounded sometimes.

 

“People like you and Maria are so observant. You see so many things other people don’t see. I guess that makes it hard to understand when people don’t see what you do.” Kanna grinned.

 

“In some ways,” she said with a laugh, “It’s like when couples get mad at each other. Like when girls think they’re being really obvious, and it goes completely over a guy’s head and they start talking about mixed signals....it’s like that.”

 

Masa pondered that thought. It was hard to imagine the infamous Jinguji Ren in such an embarrassing position, especially after the many times Masa he seen him land on his feet with women. While he had never considered himself among the flock of Ren’s admirers, he gave Ren the credit he deserved for social skills. It was strange to think of him as being at a disadvantage in a matter of communication, which was usually his forte.

 

“I don’t know if I believe you,” he murmured thoughtfully, as he turned Kanna’s theory over in his mind.

 

“Believe what ever you want,” Kanna said with a lighthearted shrug. “If you want a more sensible explanation, try Maria. But she’ll probably tell you the same thing I did.”

 

Her mouth twisted into a wry smile.

 

Silence ensued as Kanna stargazed and Masato pondered. He was still upset with Ren for being such a bully, and for not paying enough attention to realize when Masa was angry with him. He felt that they were close enough friends that this should have been more obvious. But if Kanna was right, and Ren really couldn’t see it at all....well, it wouldn’t be the first time Jinguji managed to catch Masa off-guard. It was hard to justify being angry with someone who didn’t understand what they’d done wrong. Though at this rate, that fact might be the only thing keeping Ren from getting a second black eye to match the first. It was a Hail Mary pass, but Masa grudgingly took it.

 

“Kirishima-san?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“How long....how long have you and Tachibana-san been friends?”

 

It was a question Kanna had expected.

 

“Since we joined the Flower Division. Three, maybe four years,” she said, nonchalant. “Not too long, honestly. But I guess that’s what happens when you meet someone special. It doesn’t have to take long for you to really get to know and love them.”

 

Masa blinked.

 

“Forgive my rudeness,” he said very, very carefully, “But it sounds like more than a simple friendship to me.”

 

To his surprise, Kanna let out a barking laugh. Her shoulder shook, as her face lit up. She didn’t seem at all bothered by his prying inference. In fact, she sounded downright amused by it. It was the last response he had expected.

 

“You know, you’re a smart guy,” she said, playfully punching him in the shoulder. “Just don’t go making it public record or anything, alright? I don’t much care, but Maria’s a pretty private person. If she thought I mentioned it to anyone outside the Flower Division, you can bet I’d sleep on the floor for a week.”

 

Even the stoic Masato couldn’t help but laugh softly at the idea of Maria kicking Kanna out of bed. Honestly, the idea of the two of them together was a bit funny all by itself. Maria was the Ice Queen, she hardly ever said what she really thought, and she was almost as difficult to entertain as Sumire. Kanna, in contrast, was loud and open, and wore her thoughts on her sleeve without holding anything back.

 

Masa wondered at what he had always considered an irony of casting, that they had chosen the two women to play the Gods of Ice and Fire in the show. It seemed more likely now that it was either a pointed jab at them, or merely typecasting.

 

While he knew that his relationship with Ren was strictly nonromantic, and therefore didn’t mirror Kanna and Maria exactly, it was reassuring to know that the situation wasn’t hopeless. For now, that would have to do, as he knew that Ren wouldn’t want to speak to him any time soon. Certainly right now wasn’t the best time to find him. Perhaps later, if they could find a moment to themselves.....Masa had a better idea of what he might say now, at least.

 

Masa smiled.

 

“You are a very interesting person, Kirishima Kanna,” he said quietly.

 

“I know,” she replied with a yawn. “It’s a blessing and a curse, really.”

 

As they both chuckled softly, the knot that had uncomfortably settled in Kanna’s chest worked itself loose. Now, when she went back to Maria, she would have something good to tell her at last.

 

~*~

 

The limos were quiet, but not silent. Everyone was being careful not to set Ren off again. He wasn’t much of a hothead, usually, but with everything that had happened, no one wanted to be responsible for more injuries. So they let him be.

 

Ren stared out the window as they drove to Reiji’s favorite ice cream parlor. He didn’t voluntarily speak to anyone, but he had stopped shooting glares at people. Now he simply seemed numb, not reacting to anything around him. It was as if he were trying to make up for the quiet, serene Masa who usually accompanied them on these trips. Not the ridiculous anger management problem he had become.

 

He could feel their eyes on him, but dismissed it. It wasn’t worth trying to convince them all that he was okay, when it was so painfully obvious that he was not. It wasn’t worth pretending. Even the most social of butterflies had the occasional desire to be alone. Ren was fortunate that his friends respected him enough to let him have his space.

 

Part of him felt sad, that he was making them worry. Sakura and Haruka, in particular, were having to struggle not to check on him every five minutes. Otoya and Syo, bless them, had each become a combination of comforter and coping mechanism. They had persuaded the girls to start up a conversation with Reiji and Camus, who were more than happy to help.

 

They talked about what it was like, working with the famous Flower Division, and what progress they were making on _The Sky Princess_. Sakura, of course, extended every invitation to Quartet Night to come see the show. Reiji assured her that they would all be there, even if he had to drag Ranmaru.

 

Predictably, Ranmaru was curled up in his seat, staring angrily out the window with his arms folded over his chest. Frustration radiated from him in waves, and the girls were beginning to wonder if they needed to be worried about the former rock star too. Every now and then, Reiji would pause in his conversation to lay a hand gently on Ranmaru’s knee. The first time, he violently tore away from Reiji’s touch, but as it slowly became clear that the lighthearted young man wasn’t going to stop, he gave up. Eventually his gaze softened a bit, leaving Reiji to smile to himself.

 

It must have been hard, Reiji imagined, for Ranmaru to deal with all of this. In the first place, he was still coming to terms with the fact that he even _liked_ his kouhai, but to add keeping them from killing each other to his list was just unfortunate. It forced him to care about them, which made the silver-haired man very uncomfortable. He liked it much better when they could all pretend to be completely indifferent about one another and get on with their lives. All if this drama was not his style.

 

The second limo was equally subdued. Maria and Sumire were quiet as usual, and Ai had no interest in speaking to anyone either. Kohran normally would have been talkative, but she seemed preoccupied. She stared openly at Ai, her eyebrow occasionally twitching, but said nothing. Iris had fallen asleep between Ohgami and Natsuki, and they tried to be quiet to keep from waking her up while Cecil just hummed absentmindedly to himself.

 

“Is something wrong, Kohran?” Ohgami asked quizzically, keeping his voice low.

 

“No,” she answered hesitantly. “Nothing’s _wrong_ , I just thought....maybe I’m seeing things.”

 

“Huh?”

 

The violet-haired mechanic just waved a dismissive hand.

 

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” she said, banishing her suspicious thoughts from her mind. She turned her attention to a stray thread on her pants, but continued to steal occasional glances at Ai from beneath lowered lashes.

 

“We are almost there,” Ai said suddenly. “0.5 miles.”

 

Everyone stared at him, confused, but 0.5 miles later, the prospect of ice cream took precedence. Ohgami carefully gathered Iris in his arms, whispering to help her wake up. Natsuki was practically skipping, he was so happy, and no one was in the least bit surprised.

 

Ten minutes later, Ren surveyed his companions as they all filed through the line, getting their ice cream and settling down to eat. Some of the ice cream choices were very amusing-Sakura, for example, put gummy bears in her strawberry ice cream, and Natsuki added so many toppings it was impossible to tell what flavor he had started with.

 

Ever a fan of simplicity and class, Ren decided to stick with plain, unadorned butter pecan ice cream. He chose a seat far, far away from Otoya and Reiji, who were much too excited for Ren’s taste, and went back to his brooding.

 

Everything was annoying here. The walls were painted some mint-green color that reminded him of a doctor’s office. The smell of sugar was so thick in the air, Ren thought he might be sick. The ice cream in his hand held no real appeal for him, and he resented getting it, even if he had only really done so to reassure the girls. There was a little bell over the door that wouldn’t stop tinkling, its frequency nothing short of offensive.

 

The sound of the chair legs scraping the floor as Sumire sat down across from him was even worse.

 

“The entire world of ice cream-related flirtation at your fingertips, and yet you scowl at the wall,” she observed softly, a dish of what looked like raspberry sorbet in her hand. Her tone of voice was as snarky as usual, but her eyes didn’t hold the spark they normally did.

 

“You and Hijirikawa-san must be very close, for something as small as that to make such an impact,” she added thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t have thought you had many friends of that caliber. He must not be intimidated, like everyone else.”

 

Ren stiffened. He glanced up, staring into the depths of her eyes, unable to discern what she was thinking. His brows knit in concentration as he strove to keep his demeanor calm. His head was beginning to ache again. That just kept happening, didn’t it.

 

“If you’re just going to insult me as usual,” he drawled, rubbing his temples, “I should at least point out that you are the last person on earth who should be giving me hell about my friends, as I’m not sure you actually have any.”

 

His smooth façade was gone, vanished into the night with whatever dignity he had before Masa decided to make their little spat the business of the neighborhood. Now he had no desire to be polite or charming with anyone, not even Kanzaki Sumire.

 

Sumire blanched, surprised. She set down her dish and crossed her arms angrily across her chest.

 

“Well if you’re going to act like a child, then I suppose I won’t bother trying to help you!” she snapped. “After all, what does it matter to me if you throw away the closest friend you’ve got?” She sniffed haughtily. Her tone had not-so-mysteriously changed from “softspoken and understanding” to “screaming banshee” in zero point two seconds.

 

“Go right ahead!” she declared, pointing at him with her ice cream spoon. “Punch him in the face until the end of time for all I care! Just don’t come crying to me when you’re all alone and have no one to blame but yourself.”

 

She adopted a scowl that matched Ren’s, and turned sideways in her chair. She returned to eating her sorbet, making a point to stare at everyone but him. He had been obviously snubbed, and she wanted him to know it.

 

Ren didn’t even know what to think, much less say. He couldn’t remember having ever spoken so harshly to a lady before, but he still hadn’t expected Sumire to actually care. She had made it clear that she was an independent girl, who needed no one and lived above the opinions of others. None of the other girls seemed to be her particular friend, and she appeared to like it that way. Ren had taken Sumire’s own trick of speaking hard truths and used it against her. But there was something more to it than that, it wasn’t just her pride that was hurt.

 

He stared at her incredulously. Was it possible that he....no. Of course not. He couldn’t _possibly_ have managed to hurt....her _feelings...._ surely not _her..._

 

A dark chuckle involuntarily escaped his lips. The whole affair was just so damn _funny._ All of that high and mighty talk about what a playboy he was, and how he paled in comparison to her luminous self, and she was publicly snubbing him. Who’s the child now, he wanted to ask, but fortunately good common sense forbade it. Instead he simply laughed. His shoulders shook as he tried to stay quiet, to no avail.

 

Sumire shot him the most murderous look she could muster.

 

“What is so _funny?”_ she asked icily.

 

Ren smiled darkly.

 

“Don’t tell me you actually _care_ , Miss Kanzaki,” he said, his voice syrupy and sweet as he mocked her. “And here I thought such a sophisticated lady would never grace a mere playboy with her attentions.”

 

Sumire’s cheeks went instantly red.

 

“There’s no need to sound so surprised,” she said prissily. “I happen to be a good person, you know. Honestly, you make me out to be such a villain.” Her arms unconsciously returned to their crossed position.

 

The mocking laughter slowly dwindled away, but only after Sumire had decided that she needed to pay very close attention to the floor.

 

“I hardly think you’re a villain, Miss Kanzaki,” Ren said, still chuckling.

 

She eyed him suspiciously.

 

Ren raised a hand in surrender.

 

“Truly, I don’t,” he assured her. He reached forward and snagged Sumire’s hand, forcing her to turn and face him. She tried to tug away, but his grip was firm.

 

“I want to thank you,” he said, all laughing aside. His eyes were serious. If it were possible for Sumire to blush any more, she did.

 

“What for?” she demanded, as her heart unnecessarily skipped a beat.

 

Ren winked, and brushed his lips across the back of her pale hand, before casually returning it to her. Sumire was forcibly reminded of the last time he had kissed her hand, when they had first met.

 

“I didn’t think it was possible for me to laugh tonight,” Ren said simply, shrugging as he leaned back in his seat and stretched out his legs under the table.

 

Her face the lovely shade of a tomato, Sumire stood up and took a few faltering steps back, away from him. Her eyes were still glued to the floor.

 

“W-well, I’m glad I could help,” she said hastily. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” She turned on her heel and very quickly vanished.

 

Ren smiled after her.

 

“I guess the girls really do like a bad boy,” he said to himself with a grin.


	9. Handymen and Princesses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song credits go to Track and Field, for "Running Up That Hill". The song is originally by Kate Bush, I know, but the Track and Field version is massively different, and is the version I based the chapter on.  
> Enjoy.

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 9: Handymen and Princesses

 

When the cat’s away, the mice will play, or so the saying goes. This is equally true when the “cat” happens to be two entire entertainment troupes who went off to a concert, leaving their trusty sidekicks, the backstage help, to be the mice.

 

And play they did.

 

Tsubaki had to cover her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing in anticipation. She and Yuri were concealed just around the corner from the room assigned to the members of HEAVENS, lying in wait for their victims.

 

“Tsubaki, hush!” Yuri hissed, noticing her friend’s amusement. “They’re coming!”

 

Both girls froze in place, listening carefully. They heard footsteps approaching the door, and Yuri risked a quick look. _Nagi_ , she mouthed, a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

 

They waited with bated breath, hearts pounding. Any second now. Any....second....

 

 

Unable to contain themselves anymore, Yuri and Tsubaki fell to the ground, laughing hysterically. A now-soaked Nagi appeared, his peach-blonde hair matted down, dripping on the carpet. He looked like a drowned rat. A very _angry_ drowned rat.

 

“Oh, Mikado-san,” Yuri forced out through the giggles, scrambling to her feet. “We didn’t see you there. What on earth happened to you?”

 

As she fought not to make any kind of unattractive snorting noise through the giggles, it was obvious that she and Tsubaki were behind the conveniently-placed bucket of water on the rickety, high shelf just inside the door. After the flower crown incident, they made no effort at all to hide their malice.

 

“You’re going to pay for that,” Nagi threatened, trying to wring out his sleeves. “Just you wait. I’m going to-”

 

Suddenly, Tsubaki squeaked and tugged at Nagi’s damp sleeve, pointing frantically behind him.

 

“What?” he asked, huffing in annoyance as he turned to see what she was so weirded out about. Unlike hers, Nagi’s face split into an amused smile when he saw who it was.

 

“Ah, Kira,” he said smoothly, nodding to the tall raven-haired man, who regarded him with a raised brow. He looked like he had just come back from somewhere, as he had a jacket on and his hair was somewhat windswept. He slowly gestured to Nagi’s soaking wet clothes, silently questioning their origin.

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nagi snapped, jerking his thumb at the girls to incriminate them. Yuri and Tsubaki conveniently stared off in other directions, ignoring him. Still, Yuri watched the mysterious Kira out of the corner of her eye.

 

They boys had been here several weeks, and still she had rarely heard him speak more than a few words. He seemed to be good at everything he did, particularly some of the more difficult prop creations. While Eiichi had some semblance of artistic vision and Nagi wasn’t a complete disaster with a paintbrush, Kira was the one who would spend hours hunched over a table, surrounded by tools and materials, and eventually come up with something magnificent. Just the other day he had engineered a pair of prop torches that used miniature fans and tinted light bulbs to flicker and dance like real flames.

 

Still, the fact that he had such an imposing stature and didn’t often speak made him a bit disconcerting. His striking golden eyes gave Yuri the chills, like they could stare straight through to her soul. That was silly, and she knew it, but she couldn’t help but be a tiny bit unnerved by the man.

 

Today, Kira didn’t seem so intimidating, though. The corners of his eyes crinkled up in amusement, as he nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Eiichi?” he questioned softly, his serious voice an attention-grabber even when he wasn’t being loud.

 

Nagi shrugged. “Beats me, I haven’t seen him,” the little brat replied, as he began to shiver. Being soaked to the bone was not something he liked. Nagi was like a cat, he wanted things done his way, when and where and how he wanted, and he _hated_ being wet.

 

Half-smiling, Kira casually removed his jacket and dropped it across Nagi’s shoulders. The boy scowled at him, not appreciating the obvious charity, but he couldn’t help but tug the jacket tighter around himself. He was so small in comparison with Kira that Kira’s jacket was practically a blanket.

 

Tsubaki and Yuri traded looks. For such dastardly villains, these two were some kind of confusing. One minute, Nagi was threatening to make them pay, the next, he was curled up shivering in a jacket-blanket? Well he _was_ younger than everyone else, they reasoned, and from what the boys of STARISH had told them, he was probably a spoiled rich boy before he became a famous pop star. That pout could just as easily be one of his tricks.

 

“Where have you been, anyway?” the spoiled brat demanded of Kira. The taller man, remembering, reached forward and removed a small paper bag from the pocket of his jacket. He was glad he hadn’t forgotten and left it with Nagi.

 

“We needed loose pin hinges,” he said calmly, pulling one of several small metal hinges from the paper bag, which bore a hardware store logo.

 

Tsubaki’s eyes lit up. “You mean for the trap doors?” she asked, excited. The hinges on the stage’s trap doors had finally become so rusty and unreliable that the company had been forced to temporarily refrain from using them. They hadn’t had time to get it fixed yet, and it had become a source of much irritation with the cast and crew.

 

Kira nodded, dropping the hinge back into the bag. He mumbled something about having to get back to the stage and help, and quickly took off for the auditorium.

 

Nagi growled in frustration.

 

“That Kira,” he grumbled. “He’s always working late, it’s so _boring_.”

 

He glared at Tsubaki and Yuri, then ‘hmmphed’ and (checking for any more precarious water buckets) vanished into his room. The door slammed behind him, and the two girls couldn’t help but high-five. They had finally managed to teach that little snot that they were a force to be reckoned with.

 

~*~

 

The moon rose high above the Imperial Theater, casting its light across the capital city. STARISH and the Flower Division had returned and retired to bed. One among their number, however, had waged a war against sleep.

 

Why did he have to have such a smooth, drawling voice? Why?! He didn’t even have to sing, and she knew that if he did, it would be all over for her resolve. It was truly unfair, to curse her with the most ridiculous lout she’d ever met, and then to give him the one thing she couldn’t resist.

 

Kanzaki Sumire had the most expensive and luxurious bed money could buy, but that had never kept her from tossing and turning, lost so deep in her thoughts that sleep was impossible. The moonlight streaming in through her window seemed brighter than ever before, and each tick of the clock on the wall was loud as a gunshot.

 

Sumire balled her fists around the edges of her blanket, yanking it up to her chin and huffing. She was never going to get to sleep like this, and it was _all his fault_. Him and his sultry voice, and his soft, conditioned locks. That stupid way he ran his fingers through that hair when he was stressed out. Those hands, so gentle he could have handled delicate blown glass, attached to arms strong enough to wrap around her and hold her tight even in the worst of her moods. His tenacity, which rivaled her own. His devotion. The way he wasn’t afraid to love openly and strongly.

 

It was so unbearably hot in her room, Sumire couldn’t stand it a moment longer. She got up and opened the window next to her bed, reveling in the cool night breeze. Remembering the last time she stood at this window when it was open, Sumire glanced up at the rooftop where she had listened to him play. It was the most honest she had ever seen him, to be sure, but in an almost mocking kind of way.

 

_You did tell him he was a fake, a liar,_ that nasty voice in her head said. _He showed his true colors, just like you wanted._

 

Sumire sighed, her face heated even standing in the open window.

 

“I didn’t mean to _fall_ for him,” she grumbled to herself. Was that what this was? Lust? Or love?

 

Kanzaki Sumire didn’t _love._ She wasn’t meant to love. She was meant for other people to love _her_ , she was a shining diamond made only for admiration. Love had never been in the cards. She loved theater, and acting, but had never felt much of a desire for it to be real.

 

That was the difference between being a sniveling little girl who wished she was a princess, like Sakura, and actually being one, like Sumire. She didn’t have to wonder when her prince would appear, because she already had everything she needed. _Men are so boring_ , Sumire had always said. _I’m a princess. They don’t deserve me._

 

Those words came back to bite her, in the form of a strawberry-blonde, saxophone-playing _popstar._ Any minute now, pigs would fly overhead to let her know that the world was ending. She had claimed for so long to be a princess, so the powers that be had laughed, clinked their glasses, and sent her a prince.

 

Sumire flopped onto her bed, rolled over and screamed at the top of her lungs into one of her fluffy down pillows. It made her so angry, having to square with all of these feelings she was never supposed to have. This went against everything she had ever said, and if it came out that she had feelings for him, Sumire would be humiliated beyond belief.

 

That was how she knew it had to be painfully, horribly, irreversibly real.

 

~*~

 

Sumire wasn’t the only one awake. A few doors down, the very same moonlight shone brightly through Maria’s window. This window, too, was open, and the breeze stirred at the sheer curtains, making them roll and billow, casting shadows upon the walls.

 

Maria’s blue-green eyes watched the dancing shadows, wondering if the calm she felt was like the calm before a storm. On the one hand, the altercation may have given Hijirikawa and Jinguji the opportunity to vent their rage, releasing it from them. Or it could have simply made them burn hotter. A hardened warrior, Maria found relaxing in the face of such situations difficult.

 

She lay on her side, the sheets drawn up under her arm, draped across her chest. Her shoulders (and the rest of her) were bare, due to her dislike of entangling fabric, which led her to sleep as lightly clothed as possible.

 

A strong, heavily-tanned hand settled on her arm, radiating the heat of the sun itself.

 

“You’re overthinking it,” Kanna mumbled, half-asleep. While the tall Okinawan could sleep anywhere, she had discovered that her quiet lover had much more trouble with it. It was a nightly game, to see who would win, Maria’s insomnia or Kanna’s determination.

 

“What?” Maria answered softly.

 

“I don’t know,” Kanna replied, her voice muffled by her pillow. “But whatever it is, you’re overthinking it.” She rubbed her calloused palm up and down Maria’s arm, sending shivers up the Russian’s spine. “Go to sleep.”

 

Maria didn’t respond. She simply drew her legs up, curling herself into a ball, scooting herself ever so slightly closer to her source of warmth. Kanna took the hint, and wrapped one of her powerful arms around Maria’s waist, dragging her close to her chest. Maria didn’t usually like spooning, and Kanna had learned to respect her wishes, but on some rare occasions like tonight, it became clear that even the famous Kazuar sometimes wanted to be held tightly and protected. Kanna smiled to herself.

 

“What did you say to him?” Maria asked quietly, and Kanna sighed.

 

“I told him the truth, that Jinguji’s an idiot and that he’s going to have to speak plainly if he wants to get through to him,” the karate master replied simply.

 

“And?”

 

Kanna chuckled, using her free hand to smooth Maria’s soft, blonde hair.

 

“I think they’ll be okay,” she said honestly. “From what I could tell, neither of them wants to end anything. They just have to figure out how to hear each other when they talk. They’ll learn. Just give them time.”

 

She felt Maria nod, but the tension remained in her shoulders. That was another thing that might or might not disappear with time.

 

“Thank you, Kanna,” Maria whispered, closing her eyes. She focused her energy on breathing slowly, and deeply, hoping that she could court sleep at last.

 

Again, Kanna laughed softly.

 

“Hey, they’re my boys too. All you had to do was ask.”

 

~*~

 

Masato was strangely absent from breakfast the next morning. Seeing no one else particularly concerned over the matter, Syo decided to satisfy his morbid curiosity and find the solitary bluenette to make sure Jinguji hadn’t killed him and dumped his body in the lake.

 

Imagine his surprise to find Masa alive and well in one of the theater’s practice rooms, sitting at the piano in yesterday’s clothes.

 

Masa stood up, startled, when Syo entered. He blushed furiously, embarrassed by his attire, and the complete transparency of his actions.

 

“What are you doing?” Syo asked suspiciously, crossing his arms.

 

Masato resumed his seat and sighed exasperatedly.

 

“I am songwriting,” he replied carefully. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

 

Syo leaned over to see what Masa was working on, but the quiet man snatched his music sheets protectively out of sight.

 

“Let me rephrase,” he said icily. “I am songwriting, and it’s not for STARISH, so it’s none of your business.”

 

Syo’s temper arrived at a speed that could have bested even Sumire’s.

 

“You don’t always have to be cold and unfriendly, Masa!” he shouted, his face red. “It’s no wonder Ren doesn’t want to talk to you if all you ever do is push people away!”

 

He huffed and dramatically stalked from the room, taking extra care to make sure that the door slammed closed behind him.

 

The pianist simply stared after him, completely shocked. Syo was always one for loud volume, but this was the first time he had gotten so worked up over Masato. Usually it was Natsuki or Ren who brought out his howling temper.

 

Masa dismissed the thought, and returned his sheet music to its proper place. He had more important things to worry about right now than one of Syo’s tantrums. There was something wrong in the chorus of his song, something that had been driving him crazy almost all night. Most of the music flowed smoothly, just the way he wanted it to, but this one little piece was determined to ruin him. It had become such an obsession, to overcome this challenge, that Masa hadn’t even stopped to shower or change his clothes. This particular song was more important.

 

Just as Masato was about to nearly break the piano in frustration, the door opened a second time.

 

“Here.”

 

Syo had returned, dragging a very confused Haruka by the wrist. She was babbling incoherently, asking Syo what was going on, and trying to figure out why Masa was writing a song at all.

 

With all the attitude he could muster, Syo thrust the stuttering Haruka at Masa. He wouldn’t meet his friend’s eyes, but his eyebrows were sharply angled in irritation.

 

“If you’re songwriting and you haven’t even changed clothes, you must need serious help,” Syo muttered. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

 

He didn’t wait for any kind of response, or bother to explain anything to Haruka. He simply turned on his heel and left, a scowl on his face.

 

Haruka turned to ask Masa what was going on, and found his face as flushed red as Syo’s had been.

 

“You’re writing a song?” she asked tentatively, leaning over to see Masa’s music as Syo had done. Only, in this case, it seemed that Masa was too lost to snatch it away. He just stared, open-mouthed, as Haruka read over the sheet music.

 

After a moment, she looked up, a bright smile on her face.

 

“This is for Jinguji-san, isn’t it?” she asked. Masa nodded. 

 

“It’s wonderful,” Haruka added, placing the sheet music back where it was supposed to go, in front of Masa. “I know Jinguji-san will love your song.”

 

Masato shook his head.

 

“No one will love it if it is not complete,” he mused. “There is something wrong, but I cannot for the life of me discover how to fix it.”

 

Haruka nodded.

 

“I saw you had left some parts blank,” she said ruefully. “But maybe if we work on it together, we’ll be able to finish it!”

 

She joined him on the piano bench, and they played through the song a few times, so Haruka could get the feel of it. She offered a few suggestions and tips, most of which Masa very much liked. As they worked, the song improved and improved, until only the chorus remained. It was technically playable, but both Masa and Haruka still felt that there was something missing.

 

“Jinguji-san is very important to you, isn’t he,” Haruka said quietly, staring at the sheet music.

 

Masato did not answer, but they both knew what he wanted to say.

 

“I think,” Haruka said slowly, “If this is a song about two different people, it should have two different parts. At least in the chorus.”

 

Her companion raised his brow, but Haruka just smiled at him.

 

“When you think of Jinguji-san, you write low notes,” she explained, pointing to the music. “So right now, you have a low part that reminds you of him, and a high part that reminds you of yourself. But I think it needs something in the middle.”

 

Haruka scooted over, and placed her fingers on the keys, playing the part Masato had written with one hand, and almost mirroring it with the other, in a middle octave. However, she changed just a few of the notes, making them complemetary, the way she would for a duet.

 

Hesitantly, Masa joined her, adding in the low register he had written, and was pleased at the result. Now, their parts were not as different as he originally planned. Haruka’s middle part sounded more like Jinguji than Masa’s low part did. The low part supported them both. It wasn’t what he’d had in mind at first, but that was the magic that was Haruka. He liked the song much better with her touch. It was perfect, now.

 

“Haruka,” Masa breathed when they finished. “You truly are remarkable. This is perfect.”

 

Smiling, Haruka covered his hand with her own.

 

“I am glad you like it, Hijirikawa-san,” she said kindly. “And I know Jinguji-san will too.”

 

~*~

 

When Ren went back to his and Masa’s room to shower and change after dance rehearsal, he found a homemade disc on his bed, like the ones Haruka made when she wrote new songs for them. This one, however, did not have Haruka’s handwriting. Instead, it bore only one word, written in Masato’s calligraphy.

 

“Deal”.

 

A chill raced up Ren’s spine. He should have known, he realized, that Masa would choose to use music rather than words. That wasn’t entirely unusual. Masato was even more dependent on music than Ren was. Ren made music because he loved, he enjoyed it. Masa made music because it was all he had. It had always been a source of tension between them, but Ren had come to understand it.

 

Sighing, Ren decided to get it over with. He retrieved his portable CD player from his messenger bag and slipped in the disc. Laying back on his bed, so he could look at the ceiling, he pressed play.

 

Immediately, he was greeted by a slow, deliberate piano tune. It was a serious tone, which was unsurprising for Masato. Still, it was gripping. It grabbed Ren’s attention with no trouble.

 

Soon, Masa’s serene voice joined the piano.

 

_You don't want to hurt me,_   
_But see how deep the bullet lies._   
_Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder._   
_There is thunder in our hearts._   
_So much hate for the ones we love?_   
_Tell me, we both matter, don't we?_

 

Ren was speechless. This was one of the most heart-wrenching songs Masato had ever written. It held a degree of sadness that made even the very masculine Ren check to make sure he shed no tears. The song was full of sadness and guilt. He could feel Masato’s grief over the dissonance between them. It was so apparent that it drew forth Ren’s own feelings. He was overcome.  
  
 _And if I only could,_  
 _Make a deal with God,_  
 _And get him to swap our places,_  
 _Be running up that road,_  
 _Be running up that hill,_  
 _Be running up that building,_  
 _If I only could..._

 

“Jinguji.”

 

A bolt shot through Ren’s heart when he heard that voice. He sat up quickly, his headphones falling into his lap. He was breathing heavily, and had to blink several times before he could fully focus his attention on his best friend.

 

“Masa,” he choked out, refusing to meet his friend’s eyes.

 

In a swift motion, Masato moved to sit next to Ren, concerned by the look on his face. He looked ashen, as if he was struggling to remember how to breathe.

 

“You wrote this,” Ren whispered, stunned.

 

Masato nodded.

 

“Nanami helped,” he added as an afterthought. “But yes. The song is mine.”

 

Ren forced himself to look Masa in the eye.

 

“It’s _incredible,_ ” he said hoarsely.

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Masa replied quietly.

 

Ren drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face in his arms. The pressure made his black eye sting, but Ren ignored it.

 

“Masa, I’m _sorry,_ ” he murmured, the tears he had fought to hold back now running freely down his cheeks. He would never let anyone see him cry but Masa. It was such a rare occurrence, and in all his years, the only person he had ever met who deserved such a personal experience was his best friend.

 

“I don’t know what it was I did,” Ren said quietly, fighting to keep his voice as even as he could, “But you have to know that I would never attempt to hurt you intentionally. Not you. You have to know that.”

 

Masato shook his head.

 

“You deserved to know how I felt, and I could think of no better way than physical force,” he confessed, his voice softer than Ren had ever heard it. “It is I who should apologize to you. Had I spoken sooner, we could have avoided much unpleasantness.”

 

He reached out and placed a hand on Ren’s shoulder. It shook as he fought to breathe without giving way to racking sobs. Such a small motion on Masato’s part, but Ren knew it for what it was. Physical contact was always an extreme with Masa. He respected and valued the sensation of touch above almost all else. A hand on Ren’s shoulder was of the highest esteem.

 

Without lifting his head, Ren reached up and grasped Masato’s forearm.

 

“Tell me we’re done with this,” he rasped pleadingly. “Masa. I need...I need my friend. I need you.”

 

Masa nodded again, giving Ren’s shoulder a squeeze. He blinked, feeling the beginnings of tears in his own eyes.

 

“Yes. We’re done.”

 

 


	10. Dancers and Protectors

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 10: Dancers and Protectors

 

Music rehearsals began that week. All of the actors had received a demo disc of the play’s songs with their script, but thusfar, they had been focusing mostly on blocking and dancing. Now it was time to get to the part that would be the most important: the music.

 

When STARISH and the Flower Division reported to rehearsal after breakfast, they found the musical ensemble they had been told about waiting and ready to get started. Of course, that wasn’t the most interesting part.

 

“Haruka-chan!” squealed the redheaded violinist the moment they entered. Grinning, she set down her violin and immediately raced forward, pulling Haruka into a friendly hug. Giggling at all of the stunned faces around her, Kaho whispered that maybe Haruka should explain.

 

Haruka turned to her fellows, a bright smile on her face.

 

“These are the musical accompanists for the show, from Seiso Academy,” Haruka said, and the boys visibly relaxed a bit. “This is Kahoko-chan, and Tsukimori-senpai, and Yunoki-senpai, and-”

 

She was cut off by the sound of clapping hands. The director stood on stage, commanding everyone’s attention.

 

“We begin with music today,” she said firmly. “Our musical ensemble has agreed that the first thing to be done is a sing-through, before lunch. This means we’ll be skipping through all of the dialogue, and just singing the songs the way they fall on your practice discs. I trust you have all been practicing?”

 

“Yes, Madam Director,” chorused the actors, some more confident than others.

 

They trudged up to the stage and grabbed chairs, setting them up in a circle as they had for the initial read-through. Many of the STARISH boys, particularly Syo and Cecil, stole several glances at the musical group as they, too, set up. If they were so friendly with Haruka, Syo figured that explained why she hadn’t been at rehearsals lately. It made sense that she would seek out other musicians like herself. Still, there was an uncomfortable knot in his stomach that he didn’t much appreciate. There were an awful lot of boys in that group.

 

For all of Syo’s doubts, the rehearsal went well. The musicians were very skilled, and it was evident that the actors really had all been practicing. The duets went very smoothly, for the most part, and even Sakura and Otoya got through their love song without any major mistakes.

 

When it was time to break for lunch, Mitsuki kept them an extra five minutes.

 

“The afternoon will be dedicated to individual music rehearsal,” she declared. “The ensemble members will be available in the practice rooms, as will Miss Nanami. The group numbers we’ll focus on more in group rehearsal, but this is a good chance to work on solos and duets without having everyone else waste their time.”

 

The actors and actresses all traded looks, each of them intrigued by this approach. It seemed very efficient.

 

“I will assign individual rehearsal groups for the afternoon,” the director continued, and went on to give everyone a place to practice and someone to do it with.

 

Some of the groups were very small, like Sakura and the flutist Yunoki, who were to work on Sakura’s solo. Others were larger, like Ren, Syo, Otoya, with Tsuchuria on piano and Fuyuumi on clarinet. Hihara the trumpeter and Tsukimori the violinist would be working on the gods’ challenge song with Maria and Kanna. The nymphs, Cecil, Iris, and Natsuki, got one of the larger practice rooms, and were assigned to work on the nymphs’ ballet with Kahoko and Shimizu on violin and cello.

 

Haruka had volunteered to be on call if anyone needed her help, but she didn’t have a specific place to go. Masato offered to sit with her, since he had no particular song to work on. As the narrator, he had lines in almost every song, but not enough to sit and practice by himself. It was part of why he had been cast in the role. He was trusted to have had enough experience in the field to keep up without extra special rehearsal time.

 

When the director was done, the actors and musicians all stood up and began to disperse, headed for their lunch.

 

As usual, Syo took a seat at the table next to Haruka.

 

“So I guess the ensemble’s where you’ve been during rehearsals?” he asked, unable to keep the gruff tone from his voice. Logically, he didn’t begrudge Haruka her fun, and if asked, he would willingly admit that his feelings and opinions were often unreasonable. He just wasn’t as good at keeping such things to himself as the others were. Like Haruka herself, Syo wore his heart on his sleeve.

 

Haruka couldn’t stop smiling.

 

“Yes,” she answered. “Kaho-chan and the others have been wonderful company.”

 

“You’re not thinking of ditching us, are you?” Syo joked, forgetting who he was talking to. Haruka’s face immediately went bright red.

 

“Of course I would never leave STARISH, not ever!” she said hurriedly, placing a hand on Syo’s arm. She didn’t seem overly aware of the contact, but he sure was. He could feel the warmth of that hand like he could feel the sun.

 

“Jeez, don’t get so worked up, I was just joking,” he said, nervously adjusting his hat. He tried to keep his casual face on, but feared that he looked much more worried than he wanted to let on. Fortunately Haruka was, for lack of a better term, completely clueless. Any worries Syo had about being found out vanished when she smiled at him.

 

“Oh,” she said, blushing pink. “I must have misunderstood.”

 

_Or she understood just fine and you’re in denial_ , nitpicked the nasty little voice in Syo’s head that often sounded like his younger and more sensible twin brother. Leave it to Kaoru to be the voice of Syo’s conscience.

 

Silencing the annoying voice, Syo applied himself to his lunch and did not say another word. However, his arm still tingled where Haruka had touched him.

 

He smiled to himself. It was nice to know that she still cared.

 

~*~

 

“Natsuki-kun, your feet are supposed to go like this.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry.”

“You can do it, Natsuki-kun!”

“Let’s do it again.”

 

A couple of hours after lunch, the individual practices were generally going well. Natsuki and Cecil were both getting better at the ballet, but Iris was still the best among them. Fortunately for them, the choreography involved a lot more dramatic acting than graceful beauty. It was designed to show off the nymphs’ impish and mischievous side.

 

The dance was relatively short, but very active. There was a lot of jumping around and overacting to look silly, which was tiresome after a while. Natsuki managed to keep everyone in good spirits, though. He was good at being silly.

 

After the first hour or so, Mitsuki left them alone to practice. She had taught them all of the moves, now it was just time for them repeat it until they knew it all by heart. They worked on precision and timing, and making sure that everyone knew their parts without question. Kaho and Shimizu played beautifully, over and over again.

 

Iris discovered, to her pleasure, that dancing with Natsuki and Cecil was almost as fun as dancing with her regular partners. Cecil’s hands were soft, and he moved with the same delicate strength and grace that Maria did. He could pick Iris up and spin her in circles without even giving the appearance of difficulty.

 

Natsuki was more like Sakura. He wasn’t as sure in his moves as Cecil was, but he brought joy and warmth to the dance. He made such amusing faces that Iris and Cecil couldn’t help but smile. Iris had to do the leading, but Natsuki followed without hesitation. He was content to do whatever Iris asked of him. All it took was a nudge, or a step in the right direction, and he was happy as a clam.

 

Of course, that was before they got to the part in the choreography where Natsuki and Cecil each took hold of one of Iris’ hands, and mimed playing tug-of-war with her.

 

First, Cecil slipped on the floor. As he swung wildly to catch himself, he let go of Iris’ hand. This sent her flying into Natsuki, who hadn’t anticipated having to catch her, so she crashed into him head-on. Her hand flew at his face, and before any of them knew it, Natsuki was clutching Iris to his chest and his glasses were on the floor.

 

Cecil’s eyes went wide when he saw the glasses. He knew what that had to mean. 

 

Satsuki was Natsuki’s dark personality, the frightening alter-ego who appeared whenever Natsuki was without his glasses. He was a terrorist, picking fights with anyone he thought could threaten Natsuki. He particularly disliked Syo.

 

Cecil dove for the glasses, scooping them up into his hand, praying he could get them back on Natsuki’s face before Iris or the musicians noticed a difference. He inched closer and closer, his heart pounding. It would only take a second. Maybe they would never know.

 

Natsuki’s emerald eyes had become shadowed, his eyebrows narrowing in anger as Satsuki took control. His hand tightened on Iris’ wrist. His attention, however, was focused on Cecil. He brought his free hand to the ground in a slam that echoed off the practice room walls. Kaho squeaked in fear.

 

“Go ahead. Try it,” he hissed, as beads of sweat appeared on Cecil’s forehead. With all of Satsuki’s attention on him, and no way to get him away from Iris, there was only one thing to be done. The practice rooms were all on the same hall, thank the muses.

 

Cecil diverted his attention and instead lunged for the door. He was yelling before he even reached the handle.

 

“KURUSU!” he hollered as he yanked the door open. His voice cracked a little, unused to screaming like a child. His vocal chords were meant for beautiful melodies, not excessive volume. Cecil apologized mentally to his throat. He would deal with that later. Right now there was a little girl who needed their help, two innocent musicians in the danger zone, and a madman on the loose.

 

A practice room door just down the hall from them opened with a crash. Syo came racing down the hallway, Ren and Otoya in his wake. The tone of Cecil’s voice had told him exactly what had happened.

 

Syo skidded to a halt just inside the other practice room door, braced to deal with whatever Satsuki could throw at him. He found Iris trapped in Satsuki’s arms, Cecil eying him warily with the glasses in hand, and the poor musicians backed into the far corner of the room, their instruments forgotten.

 

“Satsuki,” he growled. “Put your glasses back on.”

 

In response, Satsuki only tightened his hold on Iris. She whimpered in his grasp, craning her to look desperately at Syo.

 

Cecil passed Syo the glasses.

 

“Let go of her,” Syo demanded, inching closer, but Satsuki was having none of it. He wound one hand through Iris’ hair, staring the smaller man down.

 

“And what do you think you’re going to do about it?” he sneered.

 

“I’ll do whatever it takes and you know that,” Syo challenged, stepping closer yet.

 

“Whatever it takes!” Satsuki repeated mockingly. “You wouldn’t hurt Natsuki.”

 

Syo’s brows knit over his aquamarine eyes. His hands clenched themselves into fists, nearly breaking the glasses. He wasn’t going to admit it, but Satsuki was right. He had the advantage here. What confused Syo was why he was holding onto Iris. The only person who had ever been held so close to Satsuki in the past was Haruka.

 

Had Iris done something to threaten Natsuki? Surely not, she was only a little girl!

 

Syo shifted his weight back, preparing to throw himself at Satsuki and end this one way or another. He froze when he felt a strong, familiar hand drag him back by the shoulder.

 

Kanna’s violet eyes were just as deadly serious as Syo’s.

 

“Wait,” she said softly. Then she raised her voice.

 

“Iris!” Kanna called. The little girl looked up instantly.

 

“The glasses!” Kanna said. She did not release her grip on Syo’s shoulder. He was about to tear himself loose anyway- she had no idea how strong and dangerous Satsuki was –when Iris nodded. She stopped shaking in fear, squaring her shoulders as best she could while still being crushed by Satsuki’s arms.

 

Iris closed her eyes. Slowly, she began to glow, a soft, yellow light.

 

The light made Satsuki turn his attention to her for only a splitsecond before she shrieked. The light _exploded_ away from her, her spirit energy sending Satsuki to the floor with such force that his weight left a crack in the floorboards. Everyone visibly flinched.

 

Syo gaped, his jaw on the floor. Iris had forced Satsuki off of her with some ridiculous amount of strength he could never have anticipated. Of course, Sakura and Kohran had told them about Iris’ power, but he hadn’t expected it to be so _intense_. If she could fight off even Satsuki, it was no wonder she was a part of the Imperial Flower Combat Troupe.

 

Without giving him time to get back to his feet, Iris held out her hand toward Syo. He felt a tug against his hand, and found that the glasses were trying to wrest themselves from his closed fist. Wide-eyed, he opened his hand. The glasses responded to Iris’ power, floating through the air to settle themselves carefully on Satsuki’s face.

 

The whole room was silent. The man on the floor blinked, and sat up, rubbing his head in confusion.

 

“Syo-chan?” he questioned, his voice the innocent trill of the real Natsuki. “What are you doing here?”

 

Syo thought he was going to pass out.

 

Iris turned to see that nearly the whole cast had come running when Cecil called. Ren and Masato were carefully convincing everyone (sans Syo and Kanna) that it was okay to leave now, they really did need to get back to practicing. As they left, however, they each shot Syo a meaningful glance, and he knew that he was going to have to do some explaining later.

 

Kanna was the last to leave. She playfully punched Syo on the arm, calling him from his dazed wonderland back to reality.

 

“Told you she wasn’t just some helpless little girl,” she said matter-of-factly. “Iris pulls her own weight around here.”

 

Laughing, the tall Okinawan left, pulling the door closed behind her.

 

That left Syo, with Iris, Cecil, and the musicians all staring at each other warily.

 

“That was some fall you took,” Syo told Natsuki, taking a deep breath and trying to be casual, selling the lie. He hooked his thumbs in his pockets, briefly meeting Cecil’s gaze to make sure everything was alright. Cecil inclined his head ever so slightly, indicating that the storm had passed.

 

“Be more careful,” Syo continued, turning to leave. “I can’t come running every time you hit the floor too hard.” He made his escape quickly, hoping everything would return to normal.

 

Cecil was so on edge that he jumped when he heard a noise behind him, but it was only Kahoko.

 

“Shimizu-kun,” she said kindly, placing a hand on the cellist’s arm. He turned ever so slowly to meet her gaze, nodded, and stepped aside. Only then did Cecil realize that at no time since the incident began had Shimizu been anywhere but between Satsuki and Kahoko, silently shielding her. He found it wonderfully sweet.

 

The dance group took a few minutes to rest before getting back to practice, but other than that, the afternoon moved on as if nothing had happened. Each member of STARISH spent the rest of the day marveling about Iris. Conversely, the Flower Division spent their day marveling about Natsuki- or, Satsuki.

 

When they all came to dinner, Iris and Natsuki sat together, with Syo and Haruka. They chatted as smoothly as ever, and even the vigilant Syo was able to fully relax. From that point on, no mention was made of the incident, not by anyone. But no one forgot.

 

~*~

 

That evening, as rain began to patter against the windows of the Imperial Theater, Sumire situated herself in one of the smaller parlors with a cup of tea and a book. Though she never brought it up, Sumire had always been an avid reader. She firmly believed that education was quintessential to a woman of her caliber, and that her mind must be kept as sharp as the blade on her _naginata_. She read almost as much as Maria did, and a rainy night like this afforded her the perfect opportunity.

 

Tonight it was Thackeray’s _Vanity Fair_. The book was well-worn, being one of Sumire’s favorites. The spine was so crinkled that the title was illegible. It had been reread so many times that the posh young lady could have recited much of it from memory. However, she continued to reread it, year after year.

 

Sumire smiled to herself as one of her favorite passages came up.

 

_Indeed, for my own part, though I have been repeatedly told by persons for whom I have the greatest respect, that Miss Brown is an insignificant chit, and Mrs. White has nothing but her petit minois chiffonne, and Mrs. Black has not a word to say for herself; yet I know that I have had the most delightful conversations with Mrs. Black (of course, my dear Madam, they are inviolable): I see all the men in a cluster round Mrs. White's chair: all the young fellows battling to dance with Miss Brown; and so I am tempted to think that to be despised by her sex is a very great compliment to a woman._

 

“The great actress reads something besides a script. I must confess, I may never get over the shock.”

 

The sound of Ren’s drawling voice startled her so much that she managed to spill her tea, wincing as the hot liquid burned her wrist.

 

Sumire looked up angrily, ready to berate him for sneaking up on her, but was stunned into silence as he quickly moved to make sure that she was okay. Before she could say a word, he was on one knee in front of her, carefully removing the hot teacup from her hand and thoroughly checking her lightly burned wrist. Sumire’s breath hitched involuntarily in her throat.

 

“Then again,” he muttered cynically, “Had I known it would cause you physical injury, I might not have commented on it at all.”

 

Sumire rolled her eyes.

 

“I am an educated lady,” she sniffed. “A proper young woman reads. Her mind must be sharp at all times.”

 

Ren laughed. He returned her hand to her, judging it not so harmed that she needed medical attention, and settled into a chair opposite her.

 

“If your mind is anywhere near as sharp as your tongue, Miss Kanzaki, then I must tell you that you need no improvement,” he said casually. He leaned back in his chair, studying her.

 

Sumire made every effort to ignore the pattern his eyes traced over her skin. She fought equally as hard not to return to the favor. He absolutely could not know that her stomach filled with butterflies when he held her hand.

 

While he only stared at her for a few minutes at most, it felt like hours to Sumire. She couldn’t focus on her book at all, but to remove her eyes from its pages was to admit defeat. This was an impossible game he played, just sitting there like that.

 

“Did you know, Miss Kanzaki, that idols are forbidden to love within the entertainment industry?”

 

His voice was quiet, almost as if he didn’t want her to hear him at all. Still, his tone was as smooth as ever. Surprised, Sumire glanced up. He wasn’t looking at her, but rather, out the window at the rainy darkness that covered the capital. Carefully and quietly, Sumire closed her book and set it on her lap.

 

“It is believed by the higher-ups that relationships cause problems for celebrities,” Ren continued softly, gazing at the falling rain. “From distractions during rehearsals to groups breaking up over a lover, there is no end to the difficulties. It is supposedly easier to simply avoid it in the first place.”

 

Sumire dropped her eyes to her lap, folding her hands there.

 

“In this industry, professionalism is key,” she murmured.

 

For a moment, all was silence. Ren looked out the window, Sumire focused very carefully on her lap. They could have cut the tension with a knife. Then the strawberry blonde spoke again, his voice dangerously quiet.

 

“Miss Kanzaki, is there anything on earth that could separate you from the rest of the Flower Division?” he asked.

 

Surprised, Sumire shook her head immediately.

 

“No,” she answered truthfully. “This is where I belong. My destiny is here. Only death could change that.”

 

Ren smiled to himself.

 

“Yes, I thought so,” he said, sounding somewhat pleased. “You are a true artist. You could no more abandon your path than you could take your own life. It isn’t just what you do, it’s who you are. STARISH is much the same.”

 

Sumire didn’t know how to answer that. She wondered what it would be like, if the Flower Division’s romantic prospects were forcibly restricted in such a manner. In some cases, it would make little difference, such as with little Iris, or Kohran, who seemed wholly incapable of relating with other humans as well as she did with machines. On the other hand, Sakura would surely protest, as would Captain Ohgami. Kanna would fight for Maria with every breath she had. Maria was a bit of a wild card, herself, but if true love were on the line, Sumire imagined that even the cold-hearted Russian would stand up for her right to choose.

 

That left Sumire. What would she do, if the Commander were to suddenly tell her that she was forbidden to love someone who worked in her field?

 

The simple answer was obvious. Kanzaki Sumire always got her way. One way or another, she would either change the rules or defy them. None could stop her. But would she have something to fight for at all?

 

“I suppose it must be difficult for you, being such a popular artist,” Sumire said, nonchalant. “No doubt every woman you work with dreams of the day you’ll sweep her off her feet.”

 

Ren shook his head.

 

“Not usually,” he said calmly. “Though if we are constantly assigned to work with such beauties as yourself, I may have to revise that assessment.”

 

For once, he spoke his playboy’s lines without any added flourish. He simply stated it outright, as if it were a fact from a book, and not his opinion at all. No dramatic phrases of love, no overacting whatsoever. He spoke the plain truth.

 

Slowly, he turned, and met Sumire’s eyes. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks.

 

Ren got to his feet.

 

“Ah, well,” he murmured. “The joys of fame and fortune.”

 

He turned and headed for the door. Sumire picked up her book once more, but did not turn back to the page on which she had left off. She watched as Ren paused, his hand on the parlor doorknob.

 

“I just wanted to set your mind at ease,” he said softly. “You seemed a bit concerned about my intentions, and I thought it best that I mention it.”

 

Sumire was completely stunned. How _dare_ he so openly accuse her of being in love with him! That arrogance of it made her blood boil, twice over because she knew, deep down, that he was right. It was intolerable, all of it.

 

“I am not afraid of you or your intentions, Jinguji Ren,” she hissed at his retreating back.

 

Just before the door swung closed, she heard his last comment, accented with a wry chuckle.

 

“No, Miss Kanzaki, you certainly are not.”


	11. Warriors and Puppets

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 11: Warriors and Puppets

 

After the incident with Satsuki, everyone seemed to come to a silent agreement that Natsuki should never be left alone, especially not with any of the Flower Division. Natsuki, poor guy, was completely oblivious to the fact that he suddenly had an escort nearly everywhere he went.

 

Ren and Masato had made up. Haruka and Syo had told everyone about Masa’s song, which earned the biggest collective sigh of relief in history. Now, the famous pair were sitting and chatting together as they had always done. Every now and then, Masa would catch Ren’s eye, and it almost seemed like they had worked out some kind of system to warn Ren when Masato thought he was taking things too far.

 

The musicians fit right in with everyone else, though they still lived and took their meals separately. Even HEAVENS seemed to be falling into place, much to STARISH’s surprise. They hadn’t heard a single complaint out of the Wind Division.

 

The only person who didn’t seem to be on their game was Tokiya. He had spent more and more time shut away in his room, or talking with the Vice Commander and Captain Ohgami. He was keeping his distance from the show, and it had become painfully obvious to his bandmates that either his leg was hurting much more than he let on, or he was brooding again. As usual, Haruka and Otoya worried, Syo and Ren grumbled, Masato pondered, and Natsuki tried to be as cheerful as possible whenever Tokiya was around.

 

A week of music rehearsals flew by. Opening night was getting closer and closer. The actors all felt it, and despite their preparedness, they all harbored a tiny bit of nerves. In that regard, everyone was sincerely thankful for Haruka and Ohgami, who encouraged them to keep their spirits up. They were like little rays of sunshine.

 

Still, the time crunch meant that rehearsals were getting more and more intense. They could never be too ready, Mistuki-san said. By the time they got to dinner on Friday night, they were more than ready for the weekend to come.

 

“These rehearsals are ridiculous,” Syo sighed, dropping into his chair. “Tell me Kanna cooked today. I think I’m gonna need it.”

 

“You’re in luck,” Masato replied. “I believe Kirishima-san and Shinguji-san made this evening’s meal.”

 

Across the table, Otoya’s eyes went wide.

 

“Sakura-chan made dinner?” he marveled. “I bet it’s delicious.”

 

Syo kicked him under the table.

 

“Of course it is,” he snapped, but it was obvious he was so tired his heart wasn’t in it.

 

Ren slid into a seat next to Otoya, his long hair pulled back into a horsetail to get it out of his face. The heat from dance rehearsal hadn’t gone away just yet.

 

“At least we are performing well,” he said, sounding just as tired as Syo.

 

“Indeed, we have all improved greatly,” Masato agreed. “Mistuki-san no longer pulls her hair out when we rehearse. Even Miss Kanzaki has begun rolling her eyes every twenty minutes, rather than every five.”

 

All of the boys couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

 

“What’s so funny?” came Sakura’s voice from behind Ren. She carefully balanced three bowls of noodles in her hands, which Ren hastily assisted her in passing out.

 

“Nothing, nothing,” Syo assured her. “Thanks for making dinner, Saukra-chan.”

 

Sakura beamed at him.

 

“Kanna did most of the real cooking,” she admitted, “But Iris had to stay late for dance rehearsal, so I thought I’d help out.”

 

She took her seat next to Syo, ready to eat, but no sooner had her skirt brushed the seat then a loud, blaring noise interrupted them.

 

On the wall of the hall was a large red and gold alarm bell. It looked like a fire alarm to the boys, but from the way the Flower Division leapt to their feet at the sound, it must have been something more dire.

 

“The combat alarm!” Sakura gasped. She looked frantically between the boys and the kitchen door, unsure of what to do.

 

“Don’t wait for us to eat,” came Kanna’s voice as she rushed out of the kitchen. Maria and Sumire were already out the door.

 

Apologizing profusely, Sakura scooped Iris out of her chair, and the Flower Division raced out the doors.

 

The boys of STARISH just stared after them, completely shocked. A chill fell across the room.

 

“I thought they didn’t have to go to combat while the show was happening,” Otoya said, his voice faint with concern.

 

“They did not have to train as they usually do,” Tokiya corrected him quietly. “But they cannot ignore a direct threat to the capital, show or no show.”

 

“What do you suppose the danger is?” Natsuki asked, his face pale.

 

“I don’t know,” said Tokiya. “That’s what worries me.”

 

They glanced at one another, debating what to do next. There really wasn’t any way they could be helpful. They were performers, not warriors. But it felt wrong just to sit here and chow down while the girls were out risking their lives for the safety of the capital city.

 

After a moment of prolonged silence, Tokiya sighed.

 

“Hurry up and eat,” he said firmly. “If we don’t dawdle, we can be done and have the kitchen cleaned up by the time the ladies get back.”

 

“We can make some tea when they arrive,” Natsuki added helpfully.

 

Syo nodded decisively. “Let’s do it,” he said. He and Otoya attacked their food with gusto, with the world’s best motivation to be quick. The others were a bit more reserved, but no one even considered seconds. That wasn’t important. Plus, no one was really all that hungry anymore.

 

~*~

 

Haruka could tell that the boys were just as worried for the Flower Division as she was. They refused to let her help clean the kitchen, imploring her to let them take care of it. To their credit, they had mastered the art of working together. Natsuki cleared the tables, bringing the dishes to the sink. Masato washed, Otoya dried, and Cecil carefully put all of the dishes away where they belonged. Ren took a damp rag and wiped down all of the tables, with Syo following behind with a broom and dustpan, sweeping up the crumbs. Tokiya transferred the leftover food into plastic containers and arranged them in the refrigerator.

 

They worked in near-silence. No one seemed very talkative. Otoya, in particular, was so extremely quiet that one might have mistaken him for Masato. He focused all of his energy on drying dishes, polishing them each until they shined.

 

As he stacked the clean dishes in the cabinets, Cecil prayed to the muses that the girls would be okay. From what Kohran had told him, they were very highly trained, and he had confidence in the Koubu, but it was still unnerving.

 

Syo’s temper boiled so close to the surface, no one dared speak to him for fear they’d set him off. He hated being stuck at home, uselessly waiting for the warrior women to come home. He hated being useless. He hated it even more when his anger drove him to use too much force when dumping the dustpan into the trash can, sending up a cloud of dust that made him cough incessantly.

 

Tokiya, Masato, and Ren were impressively cool and collected compared to their counterparts, but it wasn’t hard to tell that they, too, were burdened with worry. Ren fidgeted, taking his hair down, putting it back, shoving his hands in his pockets, adjusting his bracelets. His hands were never still. Masa’s grip on the soapy dishes was so tight that more than once he dropped a bowl or glass. Tokiya tapped his nails against the kitchen counter.

 

When the kitchen was so clean it sparkled, they had no choice but to trudge off in their separate directions, heads hanging low.

 

“Are you worried about Miss Kanzaki?” Masato asked Ren quietly as he closed the door to their room behind them. Ren said nothing, but that was an answer in and of itself. While Masa settled in to meditate, Ren slipped on his headphones, and pressed ‘play’ on the disc that held Masa’s song. When it reached the end, he turned on the ‘repeat’ button and just let it loop.

 

Next door, Syo had commenced chucking Natsuki’s stuffed animals across the room in pure rage. He growled in frustration, but couldn’t seem to form a single coherent sentence. Natsuki, understanding that his friend needed to vent, just watched and kept him from throwing anything sharp.

 

Tokiya and Otoya’s room was silent as a graveyard. Even Otoya’s stereo made no noise, for once. Tokiya lay on his bed, scribbling furiously in a spiral notebook. Otoya suspected he was writing lyrics to pass the time. The clock on the wall moved as slowly as it possibly could, cruelly taunting them with every tick of the second hand.

 

Cecil opted to go to Haruka and Kohran’s room, rather than the one he shared with Captain Ohgami. He didn’t want to be alone to worry, and he knew that Haruka would be understanding of his plight. As predicted, she invited him in without question. They talked in hushed tones, hoping conversation would help. Cecil told Haruka everything he knew about the Flower Division and their Koubu. By the time he reached the end of the information Kohran had given him, he had managed to make the ladies sound like heroes from old fables, charging forth to conquer evil and save the world. His description of the Koubu’s hearts even brought a smile to Haruka’s face.  

 

Hours passed. Dusk fell, midnight came and went as silently as the hours before. Syo ran out of things to throw, and took up some of the karate practice exercises Kanna had taught him. Natsuki tried to read, but couldn’t stay focused. Tokiya played mind-numbing games on his cell phone. Ren drifted into a state of half-consciousness, still listening to Masato’s song. Masa kept a vigil out the window, searching for Koubu in the darkness, knowing that he probably wouldn’t see them. They would most likely come home via the Koubu hangar on the other side of the building. Still, watching gave him something to do. Cecil sang songs of Agnopolis for Haruka, who drifted to sleep against the prince’s shoulder. He kept up his humming, hoping to keep her asleep and free from worry.

 

Otoya was the first to hear the grinding sound of the Koubu hangar doors. Instantly he was on his feet, Tokiya hot on his heels as they raced for the hangar. Tokiya paused to knock on the others’ doors, and the eight of them got to the hangar as quickly as they possibly could.

 

The Vice Commander and the Wind Division were already in place at the computer bank, assessing each Koubu and pilots’ damages as they entered.

 

“Stay back,” Ayame warned the boys as they entered. “We have to get the analysis completed before anything else happens.”

 

STARISH nodded their agreement, but their eyes were all wide with interest. The Koubu trudged inside, one by one, each taking up their place in the hangar. Not a single one was unscathed, but none seemed wholly destroyed.

 

Sumire’s was the worst off. Her Koubu’s _naginata_ had been snapped in two, and one leg’s steam-filled joint had been punctured, which led the Koubu to limp a bit.

 

The large, steam-powered machines hissed and thumped as their pilots extracted themselves. When they saw the boys waiting for them, almost every warrior raised a brow. They, like their Koubu, looked a little worse for wear. Their uniforms were all streaked with sweat, dirt, and in a few cases, blood. Kanna bore a long scratch across her left cheek. Kohran was massaging her wrist, as if she had pulled something. Iris was dead on her feet, so drained she looked ready to faint. Maria picked her up and held her close, and within moments the littlest of the Flower Division was sound asleep against the Russian’s cool shoulder.

 

Exhausted, the Flower Division limped and hobbled into their customary formation. They saluted Captain Ohgami, who did his best to look professional, but all could see that he wished he could pass out like Iris.

 

“Good work today,” he said, forcing some cheer into his voice. “Now everyone get some rest.”

 

“No rehearsal tomorrow,” Ayame spoke up.

 

Everyone goggled at her, but she waved it off.

 

“You all deserve to rest and recuperate,” she said, her tone resolute. “I expect each of you to be at your best by Monday, but consider this a three-day weekend.”

 

Sakura looked ready to shed tears of joy, but she held herself together. She and the other members of the Flower Division saluted the Vice Commander.

 

“Yes, ma’am!” they chorused.

 

“Dismissed,” Ayame answered.

 

Wearily, the Flower Division and STARISH trudged from the hangar.

 

~*~

 

The moment they reached the hallway, Otoya’s composure dissolved like sugar in water. Not caring who saw or cared, he pulled Sakura into the tightest hug he could muster. He couldn’t meet her eyes, so he just buried his face in her shoulder, inhaling the sweet smell of cherry blossoms. She always smelled of cherry blossoms.

 

“I was so worried,” he mumbled. “I don’t know how you do this.”

 

Surprised, Sakura slowly put her arms around him. He was a fair bit larger than Iris, but the way his shoulders were shaking....he needed her just as much.

 

“I’m fine,” she said softly, stroking his back. “We’re all just fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry everyone.”

 

The other members of STARISH and the Flower Division politely averted their eyes. Syo began loudly berating Kanna for her inability to stay in one piece, as Maria disappeared to put Iris to bed. Kohran was talking to herself, listing all of the damages to the Koubu that she needed to repair.

 

Sakura just stood there and comforted Otoya the way she would anyone else, albeit a bit closer together. She was moved by how concerned he was. No one had ever been that worried for her before, not that she could remember.

 

“You’re so sweet, Otoya-kun,” she whispered quietly, a smile crossing her wearied face. “I wish everyone were as sweet as you.”

 

Otoya lifted his head, refusing to let go of her.

 

“Sakura-chan...you have no idea how funny that is,” he said, cracking a very small smile. “You are easily a hundred times sweeter than me.” He let out a stuttering laugh, which made Sakura giggle in return. He pressed his forehead to hers, wishing he could just stand there with her forever, and never let her run off to such danger again. Never mind that she was a practiced warrior with more skills than nearly anyone in Japan. He still didn’t want her out there.

 

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come back in one piece,” he confessed.

 

Sakura blushed.

 

“You don’t have to worry about me,” she told him. “I can take care of myself. It’s part of my job, it’s what the Flower Division is for.”

 

She smiled at him, not really sure what else to say. At this point, it seemed like the only thing that would really calm him down was her presence. So she pulled him back into an embrace, this time wrapping her arms around his neck. He smelled like citrus, like the tangy smell of fresh oranges and lemons. It was a refreshing scent that matched his refreshing, upbeat personality to a tee. Sakura smiled into his shirt, getting comfortable with his arms around her. It was warm, and his clothes were soft. She could almost _feel_ the smiles in his heart, the ones he kept just for her.

 

“Thank you for caring, Otoya-kun,” Sakura murmured.

 

Otoya squeezed her tightly, reassuringly.

 

“Of course. I’ll always care for you, Sakura-chan.”

 

~*~

 

When Sakura finally gave in to her extreme fatigue, Otoya returned to his room. No sooner had he arrived with lovely thoughts of his soft, warm bed then it became clear that he wasn’t going to get it any time soon. Barring the path to his bed were the entire company of STARISH, minus Haruka, of course.

 

“Otoya.”

 

Tokiya’s voice was not as cold as it normally was, but something in it still stopped Otoya in his tracks.

 

“What is it?” he asked plaintively, looking around from person to person. Cecil, Syo, and Natsuki all awkwardly avoided Otoya’s gaze. Ren and Masato stood both with arms crossed, faces unreadable. Only Tokiya really looked Otoya in the eye. A sinking feeling began to build in his stomach. Everyone looked so haunted, this couldn’t possibly be good.

 

Tokiya sighed.

 

“Otoya, do you remember the first rule of being an idol?” he asked carefully.

 

Otoya’s face went red.

 

“Idols aren’t allowed to love,” he answered sadly. Now he knew where this was going. “At least, not within the industry. But Tokiya, you don’t understand, it’s-”

 

“There’s no point in arguing with us,” Tokiya sighed. “It’s not any of our decision in the end. There’s nothing we can do about it. You know that as well as I do.”

 

Speechless, Otoya looked around at his fellows.

 

“You can’t be serious,” he said, half-whispering. “Guys....come on....”

 

Syo sighed, raking his hands through his hair.

 

“Otoya, we know, alright?” he said, his face as flushed as Otoya’s. “We understand how hard it is. But we’re all in this together. If you get thrown out for being in love with a girl we’re working with...”

 

“It will be the end of STARISH,” Ren finished coldly.

 

Otoya felt like his skin was drenched in cold sweat, but his insides were burning up. It was like he was looking at himself from the outside, willing himself to say something or do something, like a puppet. But there was nothing he could say that would make them listen.

 

“Otoya-kun,” said Natsuki hopefully. “Sakura-chan is so nice, I’m sure she will be your friend...”

 

“She simply cannot be more than that,” added Masato.

 

Otoya had to clench his fists to keep from flying off the handle like Syo. It was moments like this that he found it hardest to smile. Still, he was more hurt than angry. He really had thought that his bandmates would understand. Worse, he knew that they really were right, it was unfair of him to risk all of STARISH on some girl. But she wasn’t just some girl, she was his Sakura-chan. She was different.

 

“I don’t _want_ her to be my friend,” he said softly, staring at the ground. “This isn’t fair.”

 

He felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulders in a one-armed half hug.

 

“I know,” Syo muttered bitterly. “Believe me.”

 

Otoya looked at Syo, wide-eyed.

 

“Syo-kun, you...?”

 

Syo pushed him away before he could say anything else.

 

“At least once this show’s over, you won’t have to see her and work with her every day, knowing that if you said anything at all, you’d ruin both of your lives,” he said. His hands were curled into fists, and he screwed his eyes shut, as if by not seeing the situation it would go away.

 

Then Otoya understood.

 

“You love Haruka,” he said softly. Syo didn’t answer, but the look on his face said everything. In that moment, Otoya felt worse for his friend than for himself. How long had Syo been living like this? Since the beginning? Or had it developed over time?

 

It was a cruel, harsh truth. They were all trapped in their loneliness, unable to escape it even if they tried. It wasn’t fair, and they all knew it, but there was nothing they could do without ruining everything they had built together.

 

Desperate, Otoya turned to the last two.

 

“Cecil,” he pleaded. “Ren. Please tell me you don’t agree with this.”

 

Cecil opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the words. He simply looked at Ren helplessly, hoping that the smooth older young man would have something more positive to say. Alas, he was wrong.

 

“Of course we don’t agree with it,” Ren hissed, his voice matching Syo’s for bitterness. “But if you think we’re going to throw STARISH under the bus just so you can kiss a girl for once in your life-”

 

“Jinguji,” Masa reprimanded sharply.

 

The fire that burned behind Ren’s usually calm blue eyes was frightening. He let out a harsh, choking laugh.

 

“Why stop me?” he asked coldly. “We all know how this ends. Even if we did everything in our power, we would still go down in flames.”

 

The room was struck entirely speechless. When he was angry, Ren had a painfully blunt way of putting things.

 

“The point is,” Tokiya interrupted, silencing Ren before he had the opportunity to do any more damage, “We’ve been lucky so far that none of our superiors are here. If we were having this conversation with Shining, or with Ringo or Hyuga, things would be much worse.”

 

He looked away, sending his uncomfortable stare out the window, for which Otoya was grateful.

 

“Be thankful you got even this much,” Tokiya said quietly.

 

The room fell silent. Otoya shoved his way past Syo and Natsuki, curling up on his bed. He purposely turned his back to them all, unsure if he did so because he was angry with them or because he couldn’t stand to look at his friends when he knew they were right.

 

They were right to live according to the rules. He could hardly blame them for that. If it came down to choosing between a single girl or the entirety of STARISH, the choice was easy. No, it was the _rule_ that was wrong, and they all knew it. But they worked for the Shining Agency. Saotome’s word was law. Ren was right, if they opposed it, they’d be shut down immediately.

 

Otoya’s eyes filled with involuntary tears as he thought about how he would ever be able to explain things to Sakura. Telling her the truth would almost certainly cause some kind of uproar, which they couldn’t afford. But to end things so suddenly, how would she react? No doubt she would be upset, and horribly confused. Such a sweet girl didn’t deserve to have happiness torn away from her like that, especially not when it was Otoya’s fault. It was his mistake, she didn’t deserve to pay for it.

 

A few mumbled words, and the others vanished, leaving only Otoya and Tokiya. The heavy feeling in the air unfortunately remained. Otoya rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, completely lost as to what he should do. It was taking all of his effort not to begrudge his roommate for saying something. As the current Shining representative, it was Tokiya’s job to watch out for STARISH and make sure they stayed out of trouble. If any of them misbehaved, so to speak, it was Tokiya’s head first on the chopping block.

 

As if he could hear Otoya’s thoughts, Tokiya chose that moment to speak up.

 

“I’m sorry, for what it’s worth,” he said, moving to lay down on his own bed. He flicked off the lights, but neither of them were anywhere close to sleeping anymore.

 

Otoya sighed.

 

“You’re just doing your job,” he said quietly. “It’s not your fault I’m an idiot.”

 

“What will you do?” Tokiya asked.

 

“I don’t know yet,” Otoya replied frankly. “I don’t want to let STARISH fall apart, I couldn’t do that to everyone. I couldn’t do that to myself. But I can’t hurt Sakura-chan for something that’s not her fault.”

 

Tokiya nodded, then realized that Otoya couldn’t actually see him.

 

“That makes sense,” he said aloud. “We’ll have to figure something out.”

 

Otoya sat up, surprised.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

Tokiya sat up as well.

 

“You didn’t think we were just going to leave you alone to deal with it, did you?” he asked, unable to keep the slight hint of amusement from his voice.

 

“You heard what Kurusu said,” he added. “We’re all in this together. We all care about Shinguji-san, we don’t want to hurt her any more than you do. We’ll come up with something.”

 

Without another word, both young men fell back to their pillows, contemplating the problem that lay before them. Otoya was slightly less depressed, now that he knew he wasn’t completely alone. Still, it hurt to think about it.

 

It was somewhat heartening to rise at dawn to find that Tokiya hadn’t slept at all either.


	12. Plotters and Clowns

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 12: Plotters and Clowns

 

That morning, Sakura came around to everyone’s door to let them know that she and Iris were going to spend the morning at the pool. She invited everyone to join them, and was pleasantly surprised to find that almost all of them agreed. She suspected that while the boys thought it would be fun, the girls were likely anticipating that the cool water would help ease their somewhat sore muscles.

 

“Isn’t this going to be fun, Iris?” Sakura asked, as she and the young blonde changed clothes in the locker room. “I can’t wait!”

 

As usual, Sakura wore her simple white one-piece swimsuit. Iris’ swimsuit was an orange two-piece with a little skirt that flared out when she swam. It was absolutely adorable, the kind of outfit you’d expect on a porcelain doll (just like everything else Iris wore).

 

Iris smiled and nodded at Sakura. She was excited to go swimming too. It had been a while, and the pool was one of her favorite places in the theater. Plus, with all of the other people coming, it was sure to be exciting.

 

“Hey now, wait up on the rest of us!” Kohran joked as she opened the locker room door. Haruka trailed behind her, a hesitant smile on her face.

 

Sakura’s face lit up when she saw Haruka.

 

“I’m so glad you could join us, Haruka-chan!” she squealed. “Oh, this going to be the best day ever.”

 

Sakura retrieved her towel from her locker and draped it over her shoulders as Kohran and Haruka quickly changed into their own swimsuits. Kohran’s one-piece was striped in two different shades of green. The blushing Haruka was dressed similarly to Iris, in a skirted two-piece with peach and white flowers on it.

 

The locker room door opened once again, admitting the rest of their rag-tag crew. Kanna was already dressed in her customary red top and blue board shorts. Maria, too, already wore her dark blue one-piece, a sheer white floor-length sarong around her waist.

 

“You girls ready for some fun?” Kanna asked, already pumped up. She clapped Sakura on the shoulder, and tousled Iris’ hair.

 

“You bet!” Kohran replied. “I think even Haruka-chan is going to have fun today!”

 

At the sound of her name, Haruka ducked her head, her face blushing even more.

 

“I do like to swim,” she admitted. “Though I’m not very good at it.”

 

“Will you _get out of my way_ , you barbarian?” came Sumire’s angry screech from behind Kanna, where she had become trapped in the doorway.

 

Kanna moved aside to reveal Sumire, likewise already dressed. She looked as lovely as always, in a pale lilac one-piece with a strategic diamond shape cutout just above her chest. Like Maria, Sumire had a sheer skirt over her swimsuit, though hers reached only halfway to her knee.

 

Sumire tossed her hair impatiently.

 

“The boys are waiting on us, you know,” she informed them all dryly.

 

Kanna let out a chuckle.

 

“Those poor guys are turning into little housewives, waiting on us all the time,” she joked. She could almost imagine Syo, dressed in a frilly apron, his face red with anger. (Whether he was angry that he had to wear the apron or angry that the girls weren’t home in time to eat before the soup got cold her fantasy didn’t clarify.)

 

Sumire glared at the floor.

 

“Yes, well, don’t get attached,” she said with a sniff. “It’s not like they’ll stick around after the show or anything.”

 

“Sumire!” Sakura gasped, appalled. Sumire was normally a harsh speaker, but to make such a comment in response to a simple joke was a bit much even for her.

 

The heiress propped one hand on her hip and rolled her eyes.

 

“It’s not an _insult_ , numbskull, it’s just the truth,” she snapped. “We won’t see them again after this. They couldn’t if they wanted to.”

 

Her voice faded strangely, as if she had more on her mind that she wasn’t saying.

 

Sakura ventured to place a hand on Sumire’s arm, but the proud young woman slapped her hand away.

 

“Sumire, what...?” Sakura whispered, unsure what was the matter. Something felt _wrong_ here. Sumire was being her usual bratty self, but her heart didn’t really seem to be in it. Her eyes looked distant, distracted.

 

“Um.”

 

Haruka’s quiet voice piping up from the shadows caught everyone’s attention. She bit her lip, trembling, as she realized what was going on.

 

“I think,” she breathed softly, “I think that Miss Kanzaki means- well, I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but- it’s- idols like STARISH aren’t allowed to- they’re not allowed to have any romantic relationships within the field. None of us can. It’s a rule enforced by almost all recording agencies. Shining Agency, too.”

 

The sentence hung in the air for some time, as the members of the Flower Division processed the mental bomb that Haruka had dropped. She hadn’t come right out and said it, but all of them knew to whom she referred. Only Sumire seemed unsurprised, but she seemed to have said her piece. Now she just sniffed, and waited for her companions to catch up.

 

Kanna, in all her grace, was the first to break the awkward silence.

 

“Relationships?” she repeated, completely confused. Kohran promptly elbowed her in the side, but the question had done its work. After the events of the previous night, it was painfully obvious what was happening. Everyone stared at Sakura, who stood with her hand over her mouth, her face white.

 

“Now you’ve got the idea,” Sumire murmured bitterly. “If they’ve got any sense, they’ll run for the hills when this show is over.”

 

“That isn’t fair, Sumire,” Maria commented calmly.

 

“Sakura-chan, are you okay?” Haruka asked, looking like she might well burst into tears at any moment. She hated being the bearer of bad news, but Sumire hadn’t left her much of a choice.

 

Slowly, Sakura nodded.

 

“I was- just surprised, is all,” she said faintly. “I didn’t think...”

 

She trailed off, not knowing how to say what she meant.

 

Before she knew it, Sakura felt Haruka’s thin arms encircle her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. The smaller girl hugged her tightly, knowing that this was one of those moments that was just going to take a few minutes.

 

Maria cleared her throat.

 

“As Sumire has pointed out, we do have company waiting,” she said diplomatically. She and Kanna ushered the younger ones out the door, toward the pool area, where STARISH waited for them. Haruka stayed with Sakura, whom she was honestly worried would faint if she were left alone.

 

She seemed more shocked than anything. For all it was completely obvious to everyone else in the company that Sakura and Otoya were head over heels for each other, it appeared that Sakura had never really considered the possibility of a relationship, either beginning or ending. Had someone asked her if she had a boyfriend, the answer was simple: No, she didn’t. But if they asked if she loved Otoya.....

 

That answer was simple too. Yes, she did. That had been apparent since the Quartet Night concert. Why those two answers had never collided, Sakura didn’t know for sure. She had never been bothered by the fact that she and Otoya hadn’t ‘labeled’ their relationship, it wasn’t something that was important to her. However, now Sakura thought she understood why Otoya had not said anything.

 

“Are you going to cry about it?”

 

The disdainful voice in the doorway was Sumire’s, as usual. Haruka let go of Sakura, and stepped back, away from Sumire.

 

“No,” Sakura answered hoarsely. “No, I’m not going to cry.”

 

“Good.”

 

Sumire met her compatriot’s eyes. Surprisingly, there was a slight smile on Sakura’s face.

 

“Thank you for warning me, Sumire,” Sakura said.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sumire snapped, but her cheeks were tinged with pink. For all she didn’t want to be seen as a kind person, she wasn’t evil. If there was truly no hope, it would have been unbelievably cruel to remain silent. It was only right that the truth be known. Jinguji had told her, and now Sumire had done her part and passed it on. Any decent person would have done it. No muss, no fuss. Now she was done.

 

Sakura, however, was not done.

 

“That really isn’t a fair rule,” she said, looking sadly at Haruka. “It applies to you too, doesn’t it, Haruka-chan?”

 

Haruka nodded.

 

"I'm alright, though," she said earnestly. "I'm not...I'm not much of a romantic person. I just pour all of my love into STARISH."

 

Her expression darkened.

 

“It really isn’t fair, though, you’re right,” she said, biting her lip. "What if the person you truly loved was an idol, or a composer?"

 

After a moment, Haruka smiled, despite herself.

 

“I think I may have an idea,” Haruka said carefully, her smile widening. “Let’s just have fun for today, and we can talk about it more later.”

 

Though both Sumire and Sakura graced her with very confused looks, Haruka insisted that they head on to the pool and have fun.

 

“Don’t worry,” she assured them. “Everything will be fine.”

 

Sakura returned Haruka’s smile.

 

“I trust you,” she conceded wholeheartedly.

 

Sumire rolled her eyes, but didn’t actively protest.

 

Before they could be held up any longer, Sakura took Haruka’s and Sumire’s hands and dragged them out of the locker room and into the pool area, where the sounds of joyous splashing awaited them.

 

~*~

 

Otoya and Syo grinned immediately when the last of the girls finally showed up. They floated in the deep end with Natsuki, Kohran, and Ohgami, treading water easily. Iris was splashing about happily in the shallow end. Maria and Masato both sat on the side of the deep end with their feet in the water, watching the others swim. Ren was getting used to the water, sitting on the shallow end steps. Sumire joined him, and the two struck up a conversation that soon had both of them hiding smiles. Neither Tokiya nor Cecil intended to swim- Tokiya couldn’t with his injured leg, and Syo had explained Cecil’s hilariously paralyzing fear of water –but they had come to join in the fun anyway. The two of them had set up a table at the far end of the room with snacks and drinks, plus a boom box to play music with. It was currently cycling through a disc of Tomochika’s most recent album.

 

“Haruka! Sakura!” Syo called, waving the girls over. “Come on in!”

 

Sakura nodded eagerly. She and Haruka both set down their towels and approached the pool’s edge, smiles on their faces.

 

“Is it cold today?” Sakura asked.

 

Suddenly, Syo’s eyes went wide. He threw an arm across his face to block the splash as Kanna snuck up behind Sakura and Haruka, pushing both of them into the pool with no mercy. She cackled like a madwoman.

 

“That was _great_ ,” she chuckled as the girls resurfaced. Sakura mirrored Kanna’s grin. She didn’t mind being pushed into the pool. Haruka looked completely shocked, but after a moment, she smiled as well.

 

“Come on, Kanna,” Sakura called, laughing. “Your turn!”

 

Kanna mimed a tip of the hat.

 

“With pleasure!” she replied, and the whole room braced themselves.

 

With a howl that echoed off the walls, Kanna got a running start and jumped, tucking her knees in. She ‘cannonballed’ into the deep end, sending waves in every direction. When she came up, everyone was laughing with her.

 

“Let’s play a game!” Otoya suggested.

 

“What kind of game?” Haruka asked, but the redheaded man just shrugged.

 

“Maybe a contest?” he asked. “Like diving?”

 

“Or ‘categories’,” Syo added.

 

“Which version?” Ohgami asked.

 

“There’s more than one version?” Natsuki questioned.

 

“I know!”

 

Kanna’s loud voice drowned them all out.

 

“Let’s play ‘chicken’,” she suggested, a wicked glint in her eye. The others immediately exchanged hesitant glances, but it was the excited smile on Sakura’s face that ultimately decided it.

 

“How do you play?” Haruka asked, having never heard of it before.

 

“It’s a battle game,” Kanna explained. “You get one person up on another person’s shoulders in the shallow end, and then compete in pairs. The first person to knock the other off their buddy’s shoulders is the winner.”

 

Haruka frowned, looking doubtful, but she nodded.

 

“It sounds interesting,” she said.

 

“You don’t have to go first,” Syo quickly assured her.

 

“You up for a go, then, Kurusu?” Kanna challenged. Syo grinned wolfishly back at her.

 

“Let’s do it,” he said decisively. “Natsuki?”

 

The taller man smiled and took off for the shallow end. The others quickly followed.

 

The first match was Syo on Natsuki’s shoulders versus Kohran on Kanna’s. Syo had the advantage in upper body strength, while Kohran had the stronger support. In the end, it wasn’t too difficult for Syo to send the violet-haired mechanic falling into the water. Haruka and Otoya cheered, while the victorious pair shared a high-five.

 

“Do you want to try it, Haruka-chan?” Otoya asked kindly. When she looked nervous, but nodded anyway, Kanna got an idea.

 

“Hey Iris!” she called, stopping the little blonde mid-splash. “Wanna play?”

 

Iris smiled brightly and nodded. She struck out swimming for Kanna, this time with less splashing. She swam all the way around Kanna and went straight from the water to the Okinawan’s broad shoulders in one smooth motion. By the time she and Kanna had turned around and were ready, Haruka was carefully perched atop Otoya’s shoulders. She struggled to balance, at first, but with Syo lending a hand, she managed to stay up.

 

“You can do it, Haruka-chan!” Sakura called, clapping happily.

 

Iris reached out her hands, and carefully took Haruka’s, making sure she didn’t accidentally knock her down before they even started.

 

“Ready?” Oghami asked. All four competitors nodded. “Begin!”

 

Iris pushed against Haruka’s hands, trying to push her backward off of her perch. To her credit, Haruka hung on and pushed back, as the others in the water cheered for her. Otoya was stronger than he looked, which meant that the game was pretty evenly matched. Eventually, it was Iris who managed to knock Haruka down, but the composer rose from the water with a smile on her face.

 

“That was fun,” she said, surprised. She hadn’t really expected to like it at first, but playing games with friends was something she didn’t get to do very often. Now she wished she did. It was actually very enjoyable!

 

Otoya laughed, offering a high five. Haruka giggled and high-fived him.

 

“I’m glad you liked it, Haruka-chan!” he said.

 

The game went on for several more rounds, each louder and more rambunctious than the one before. The pairs started to mix up more and more. Ohgami and Iris turned out to be more of a power team than the others expected, going four rounds before they were finally defeated by Natsuki and Sakura. Haruka tried a few more times, and found that she got more comfortable the more she played. Eventually, she and Kanna managed to send Syo into the water with hardly any trouble at all.

 

“Having trouble there, Munchkin?” Ren called mockingly from the steps as Syo came up for air after his crushing defeat.

 

“Why don’t _you_ get in here and try it!” Syo spat back, shaking the water from his hair.

 

Ren stretched his arms lazily over his head.

 

“Only if Miss Kanzaki will play with me,” he drawled, his blue eyes dancing with mirth.

 

Sumire refused. The girls begged, but Sumire still refused. The boys whined, yet still, Sumire refused. Iris gave it her best crocodile tears, but not even that could shake the diva’s resolve.

 

Finally, Iris swam over and attached herself to Sumire’s arm, refusing to let go until Sumire played. Sighing overdramatically, the Kanzaki heiress had no choice but to give in.

 

“But _one round only_ ,” she declared sternly.

 

Otoya and Sakura agreed to be the opposing team. To his credit, Ren didn’t make a single joke as he allowed Sumire to climb onto his shoulders.

 

“You’d better not let me fall,” she threatened him, but Ren only laughed.

 

“I have no intention of doing so, Miss Kanzaki,” he assured her. “Fear not.”

 

Kanna gave them to the count of three. Both men and women braced themselves, and when she got to ‘three’, they were ready to go. Sakura threw her entire weight at Sumire, who held her back with all of the muscle she’d built up in combat training. Ren gripped Sumire’s legs, anchoring her safely in place. They pressed back, forcing Otoya to take a half-step backward to compensate. Sakura wobbled for a moment, but recovered quickly.

 

“Now there’s an interesting development,” Masato commented from the other end of the pool. He and Maria were watching the games with casual interest as they conversed.

 

“Very interesting,” Maria agreed. “Sumire does not generally like to play games.”

 

“One would assume, then, that there is an incentive,” Masa noted. The two of them shared an amused glance, before returning to their previous topic of conversation.

 

Moments later, Sumire suddenly let her grip on Sakura’s hands fall slack. Sakura plunged forward unexpectedly. Before she could regain her balance, Sumire locked her ankles behind Ren’s shoulderblades. He took the hint. The pair of them surged forward, knocking the off-balance Sakura and Otoya into the water in one powerful move. 

 

Their little audience cheered wildly.

 

“Yeah, Ren!” Natsuki called, grinning.

 

“Whoa, you pack some punch, Cactus Woman!” Kanna told Sumire as she slid down off of Ren’s shoulders.

 

“My performance is always flawless,” Sumire commented airily. She turned to Ren, who had reserved a special smile for her.

 

Ren leaned in and kissed Sumire’s cheek.

 

“Brava, kitten,” he said approvingly. “Brava, indeed.”

 

Sumire turned away to hide her blush.

 

“I’m beat,” Otoya declared, floating on his back in the water.

 

“Me too,” Ohgami added. He and Sakura joined the redheaded popstar, laying back in the water and enjoying its soothing qualities. After such a vigorous game, it felt wonderful to relax in the cool water.

 

The rest of the group slowly dispersed, various pairs headed in different directions. Sumire and Iris swam down to the deep end to practice their diving. Natsuki went to join Masato and Maria, where the tall blonde was recounting tales of Russian winters and her time in the rebel militia there. Within moments, Natsuki was wide-eyed, eagerly lapping up the stories of the famous Kazuar, the fearsome firebird, terror of the Russian battlefield. Syo and Kanna, ever-energetic, were still wrestling like children in the shallow end.

 

Haruka drifted toward the snack table, smiling at Cecil and Tokiya. The latter had his nose in a book, but he set it down as soon as she approached.

 

“You looked like you were having fun,” he commented, a half-smile on his face. Cecil nodded his agreement.

 

“It was definitely something new,” Haruka said brightly. “I’m so glad you joined us today, Ichinose-san. I was beginning to think we would never see you again, with all of these rehearsals keeping everyone so busy.”

 

Haruka fetched a bottle of water from the cooler and pulled up a chair next to the table.

 

“It’s fine,” Tokiya assured her. “Actually, I have enjoyed being able to use the time to my advantage. Between politicking with the lieutenant and assisting the Wind Division, I’ve had plenty to do.”

 

“Lieutenant Fujieda seems like she would be a lovely person to have as a friend,” Haruka mentioned. “You are lucky.”

 

When the look on her face darkened inexplicably, Tokiya sat forward in his chair. Cecil, too, leaned toward her in concern.

 

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

 

Haruka fidgeted, her fingers twisting at the edge of her swimsuit.

 

“Ichinose-san,” she said carefully, “I was wondering...are you....is anyone else worried? About Otoya-kun, I mean.”

 

Cecil and Tokiya exchanged serious expressions.

 

“I think everyone is worried,” Cecil said hesitantly.

 

Tokiya sighed.

 

“Otoya doesn’t have much of a choice,” he said heavily. “He’s going to have to choose between Shinguji-san and STARISH, and his choice will affect us all. We can only hope he chooses well.”

 

For a moment, they all sat in silence, pondering the question that had burdened their minds ever since the previous night.

 

“I think someone said something,” Haruka admitted softly. “I think....someone told Kanzaki-san. About our rules. She mentioned it this morning, and Sakura-chan....”

 

Inwardly, Tokya groaned at Ren’s inability to keep anything to himself. Surely he was the only one who would have said such a thing to Sumire.

 

“So the girls know,” Cecil mumbled. His brows were knit with thought. He looked to Tokiya, his jade eyes filled with confusion.

 

“What do we do now?” he asked.

 

“It’s okay,” Haruka said hurriedly. “At least, I think it is. I have an idea.”

 

Subconsciously, the three of them scooted their chairs closer together, like parents did while the children swam.

 

“Everyone agrees that the rule is not fair,” Haruka explained. “So we have to change it. Just talking to Shining-san won’t do, he’ll never change it without a very good reason.”

 

“We’ve changed his mind on things before,” Tokiya added, calculating. He was swiftly reaching the same conclusion that Haruka did.

 

“Like with me,” Cecil said.

 

“Exactly,” finished Haruka. “We just have to do the same thing we did before.”

 

“When we changed Saotome’s mind about ‘Maji Love 1000%’,” Tokiya mused, “He didn’t believe us until we forced him to listen. We had to sing it right in front of him before he understood.”

 

Haruka nodded.

 

“It was the same with Cecil-kun and ‘Maji Love 2000%’,” she said. “We had to prove how wonderful it was before he changed his mind.”

 

“So how do we prove that the rule isn’t fair?” Cecil asked.

 

“We can’t,” Tokiya muttered. “That rule can’t be broken by just one group alone. We’ll have to start smaller, put a chink in the glass.”

 

Haruka nodded, her eyes gleaming.

 

“The rule is there to keep problems from breaking out around idols,” she said softly. “If we can prove that the Flower Division does more good than harm, it should at least start the process.”

 

“An exception is the best way to start breaking a rule,” Tokiya agreed. “Were you thinking of writing a song?”

 

“Actually,” Haruka said with a smile, “I was going to use one we already have. Ichinose-san, didn’t you say that we needed to do some more advertising before the show opens?”

 

As he realized what she was planning, Tokiya’s eyes lit up. Her idea was perfect, if they could pull it off. Cecil was nodding vigorously, excited by the plan already.

 

“We’ll have to be careful,” Tokiya said, “But there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work. Let me talk to the lieutenant and Mitsuki-san, and we’ll see what we can do.”

 

He reached forward and took Haruka’s hand, giving it a friendly squeeze.

 

“As usual, Nanami-san,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “You are truly brilliant.”

 

Cecil took Haruka’s other hand, smiling like a madman.

 

“This plan will work,” he said confidently. “Haruka-chan’s plans always work.”

 

Haruka blushed, but she couldn’t help smiling as well.

 

“I hope you’re right, Cecil-kun,” she said, crossing her fingers.

 

With that, they turned the conversation to a new topic. Eventually, Ohgami and Sakura decided to take a break from the water, and joined the group to strike up a game of cards.

 

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly. A pool day seemed to be just what everyone needed. Sakura and Haruka were both quite pleased to see that their fellows all wore smiles (though Maria’s was a bit tricky to find, as usual).

 

Otoya, too, was feeling much better than he had the night before. The day of relaxing and having fun was perfect for calming the tension. Plus, Tokiya seemed like he was in much better spirits as well. He was humming in the shower, which only happened when he was feeling particularly upbeat. It was a secret he had made Otoya swear not to tell anyone, ever.

 

When Tokiya emerged from the shower, he had a broad grin on his face.

 

“Otoya,” he said, eye glinting. “We need to talk about something.”


	13. Rebels and Doppelgangers

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 13: Rebels and Doppelgangers

* * *

 

Two weeks before the opening of “The Sky Princess”, the capital city was buzzing with excitement. Advertisements had begun popping up on bus stops, television commercials, and news tickers citywide. Tickets were not yet on sale, but Kasumi was ready to tear her hair out after fielding over a hundred phone calls asking about purchasing them.

A representative from Shining Agency had leaked to the press a tip about special live broadcast, advertising for the show. It had hit the fansites with major impact, and come the night of the broadcast, downtown Tokyo was filled with anxious fans. They checked their watches religiously, waiting for the fateful ‘click’ of the minute hand declaring the 9:00 hour.

Elsewhere, the advertisers took a collective deep breath. This was their chance, but they all knew just how big of a risk it was. Silently, they joined hands. If this ship was going down, then they were all going together.

The lights in the downtown square flickered, and dimmed. A hush fell over the crowd, as they stared around in anticipation. The skyscraper screens came to life in a sudden flash of color. Sound echoed across the square, a line that every person in the crowd knew as well as their own name.

_“Are you ready?”_

A cheer rose from the crowd of people as the live broadcast took off like a shot.

Filmed live from the Imperial Theater Stage, six of the seven members of STARISH began their all-too-familiar routine.

_“Feel our heartbeat as it bursts with 1000% love, HEY!”_

Otoya flashed his peace sign.

_“Are you ready?”_

Masa flipped his hair out of his eyes.

_“Are you ready?”_

Natsuki winked his eye.

_“Are you ready?_

In Tokiya’s place, Cecil blew a kiss.

_“Are you ready?”_

Ren beckoned to the camera.

_“Are you ready?”_

Syo grinned his signature, wolfish grin and tipped his hat.

_“Are you ready?”_

They launched into their number-one hit single, “Maji Love 1000%”, with all of the intensity of their first ever performance. In their usual color-coordinated costumes, it was as if they had just hit the stage for the first time all over again.

 _Hear our song!_  
 _Let’s sing out our dreams (let’s shout!)_  
 _I want you to see (No doubt!)_  
 _Surely there’s a way this story_  
 _Can reach a happy end_  
 _Shouting to the sky (Yes, yes!)_  
 _You and I can fly_  
 _In this revolution (We are!)_  
 _Standing as one (STARISH!)_  
 _Our love can reach the stars!  
_ _Check it out!_

The fangirls who sang along suddenly stumbled over themselves, as the music made an unexpected loop. The stage lights went dark, sending the screen into complete blackness. When the lights came up a splitsecond later, no one was prepared for what they saw.

Where the members of STARISH had been standing, suddenly stood the lovely ladies of the Flower Division!

_“Feel our heartbeat as it bursts with 1000% love, HEY!”_

In a clear mimic of Otoya’s classic costume, Sakura wore a bright flaming red miniskirt, with black ruffles around its edges, over white tights. She had also layered black and white tank tops, with a red necktie, and tall black combat boots. Her jet-black hair, tied back with her usual red ribbon, fit in perfectly. She was sharp, sexy, and entirely dazzling. The audience stared in amazement.

Sakura raised both hands, crossed her wrists, and flashed mirrored peace signs, a bright smile on her face.

“Are you ready?” she asked cheerfully.

Maria was tall and classy as usual. Her costume was an almost complete replica of Masato’s: white slacks, blue button-down shirt, white tie, a white tailcoat with black trim, and black gloves. Her blonde hair fell dramatically across her eyes, giving her the same aloofness that Masa held.

“Are you ready?” she asked, low and mysterious.

Little Iris was all decked out in her usual yellow and white, just like a miniature Natsuki. Long-sleeved black shirt, white tights, and boots like Sakura’s, with a yellow skirt and white vest. She had exchanged her usual pastel hair ribbons for a pair of mismatched ribbons- one yellow, one black.

When her turn came up, Iris twirled round on one toe, winking at the camera just as she came to rest.

“Are you ready?” she asked, her tone every bit as adorable and sweet as Natsuki’s was.

The first three girls moved out of the way to reveal the single most striking of their number: Sumire.

Sumire was the only one who could pull off Jinguji Ren’s signature sex appeal. She had it herself in droves. For the concert, Sumire wore a pair of _very_ short white shorts, which showed off her assets quite nicely. She accented them with black ankle-high boots, an orange tank top and white vest combination, long orange sleeves, and black fingerless gloves. Her makeup was flawless, and her reddish-brown hair had been pulled back into a sexy micro-ponytail. Her gaze was smoldering, as she beckoned at the camera, the same way Ren had done.

“Are you ready?” she breathed, hunger in her eyes.

Next was Kohran, who had the difficult job. She represented both Tokiya and Cecil in this little charade, so she was an explosion of color. Her white slacks, black boots, and black gloves matched everyone else, but her other costume pieces were a mix of violet and green. Violet scarf and sash, green jacket, green ribbon accessories- she was Technicolor.

Kohran put her hands saucily on her hips.

“Are you ready?” she asked, determined and strong.

Last but not least was Kanna. She had originally thought to oppose her selection as Syo’s counterpart purely because she despised the color pink, but in the end, the entire company overruled her. So there she stood, with a black-and-pink jacket and fedora to accent her white slacks, black boots, and black scarf. Still, she didn’t let it get to her.

Kanna put her own little spin on things, by flexing her muscles experimentally at the audience.

“Are you ready?” she asked, a wicked glint in her eyes.

The watchers in the Tokyo square were dumbfounded. Never before had they seen an official copycat group like this. Many of the audience members murmured about mixed feelings, waiting for the song to continue to pass judgment.

The first chorus of the song was repeated, this time by six female voices rather than the usual seven male.

When it came time for the verses, the boys of STARISH returned to the stage, which was beginning to look like a kaleidoscope. Seamlessly, they melted into the girls’ choreography, the entire group working as one large troupe.

The audience again waited with bated breath to see who would be singing as the first verse drew near.

As usual, it was Otoya who got the first line. While the others fell back, he and Sakura dove for the front of the stage, cheery smiles ready to go.

 _“My heart is racing when I think of your name,”_ he sang, reaching out a hand to Sakura. She spun under his arm, her skirt twirling around her as she sang the counterpart.

 _“So much in me that I want to proclaim,”_ she replied, feeling the rhythm of the song.

 _“Don’t forget the choice is yours, my princess,”_ Otoya sang to her, making her smile even wider if possible. They joined voices for the last line, locking their hands together.

_“You’ll be dizzy as I show you my 1000% love!”_

Sakura and Otoya parted to reveal Ren and Sumire behind them, taking over for the second part of the verse. Ren had Sumire’s hand trapped in his, and he spun her in front of him, her back to his chest.

 _“I just know,”_ he crooned.

 _“What I crave,”_ she responded, reaching behind her with her free hand to twist her fingers through his long hair.

He smiled, spinning her away once again.

 _“I’m falling for you,”_ he sang sweetly.

Sumire broke free of his hold, taking a step forward, out of his reach.

 _“It’s too soon,”_ she sang huskily. Ren stepped forward with her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

 _“You’ll be mine,”_ he declared.

The pair of them spun apart, running to different sides of the stage on the final line.

_“We can’t explain!”_

For the third part of the verse, the dance got a little more extreme. Syo, Iris, Natsuki, and Kanna had arranged a small acrobatics demonstration to dazzle the crowd, with skills from Kanna and Syo’s karate and Iris’ ballet.

Coming up center-stage, Natsuki and Kanna stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

 _“As we soar above the stars,”_ Natsuki sang brightly, boosting Iris up onto his shoulders. She stood , balanced, and smiling as happily as ever.

 _“You and I will never part,”_ Kanna answered, singing in place of Syo, as she lifted him up onto her shoulders the same way Natsuki had done for Iris.

Syo and Iris traced the shape of a star with their hands, the way the boys usually did in ‘Maji Love 2000%’, both grinning wildly.

 _“With a kiss, on the lips,”_ the smaller pair sang, smiles on their faces, _“We’ll expand the world with this bursting song!”_

Syo and Iris leaped forward. Syo tucked and rolled, tumbling to a halt on his knees. He raised his hands. Iris dove forward and landed with her palms on Syo’s, using him as a spring board. She cartwheeled to the very front of the stage, landing on her feet with a broad smile. The audience cheered immediately, thoroughly impressed by the upgrade in the choreography.

From there, the entire audience was entranced. The Flower Division wasn’t _copying_ STARISH- they were _helping_ them! With the girls on board, the happy pulse tripled, it quadrupled in strength. The performers looked happier than ever, their faces shining with delight and excitement.

Phase 1 was complete.

 

* * *

 

The moment the advertisement was over, the internet _exploded_ with activity.

 **_STARGRL09:_ ** **OMG the new STARISH ad kicks butt!**

**_JingujiLOVE1000%:_ Srsly LadySTARISH is gonna rock the world!**

**_dramaQueen65:_ Was that Kanzaki Sumire?! NO WAY!**

Generally, responses were favorable. The broadcast video was online in a heartbeat, sent to all corners of the globe. Not too long after, some different, more interesting rumors hit the fansites.

**_Madamittoki_ : Totally shipping ShingujixIttoki! Most adorable pair EVER.**

**_VioletRhapsody:_ am i the only one who thinks kanzaki and jinguji are perfect? serious power couple alert!**

* * *

 

“Wow, these are taking off faster than I thought.”

“Well, keep sending them out! It has to be so big it catches _everyone’s_ attention.”

“Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart. It’ll get their attention.”

Eiichi smirked as he pressed the ‘enter’ key, finalizing his last forum message of the evening. He yawned, stretching out his arms and placing them behind his head.

“I have to say, that was quite the devious plan Nanami invented,” he remarked calmly. “I didn’t know she had it in her.”

Yuri and Tsubaki rolled their eyes. They, too, sat at computer screens, typing furiously. Internet rumors had a life of their own, but someone had to start them. Nagi sat in a vacant chair, using his cell phone to send ‘exclusive’ pictures of the stars to the print publications. By the next morning, news of the rumored celebrity relationships would hit the newsstands in full force.

“I just hope it works,” Tsubaki said nervously, wringing her hands. “The Flower Division’s okay, but if anything goes wrong, the boys could lose their jobs.”

Yuri nodded her agreement.

“It’s a huge risk,” she admitted. “But they did say they wanted to do it. We just have to do our absolute best on our end, and get the information out there. It’s of the utmost importance.”

Tsubaki snorted.

“You sound like Kasumi when you use fancy words like that,” she said.

“Speaking of Kasumi,” Yuri asked, glancing around. “Where is she?”

“Fuji-san went with Kira to the Shining Agency headquarters,” Eiichi replied tonelessly, his eyes closed. “They will distract Saotome and his lackeys, and keep them from hearing the rumors until it is too late to respond appropriately.”

Yuri stood up, brushing off her skirt.

“I guess that’s our cue, then,” she said with a sigh. She grabbed Eiichi’s arm, dragging him out of his chair. “Time to go stage some public conversation. Tsubaki, Mikado- keep an eye on those fansites. Call me if anything goes wrong.”

“You got it,” Tsuabki answered. Nagi raised a hand in acknowledgment.

As Yuri and Eiichi disappeared out the door. The younger pair exchanged a quick glance. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Tsubaki’s curiosity finally got the better of her.

“Hey, Nagi-san?” she asked timidly.

“What?” the younger boy snapped.

Tsubaki crossed her arms and steeled herself for his terrible attitude.

“I was just wondering- how come you’re so into this plan?” she asked suspiciously. “You and STARISH are rivals. Why would you be so gung-ho to help them?”

Sighing dramatically, Nagi put down his phone.

“You don’t get it, do you?” he sneered. “This isn’t just about _them_. The relationship rule applies to _everyone_ in our end of the business. Raging Otori has the same rules as Saotome. If they win this one, they win it for all of us.”

Tsubaki was speechless.

“It’s a miracle more people haven’t already lost their jobs,” Nagi continued dryly. “In our field, we don’t have time to date ordinary people. More idols are choosing to stay single now, rather than bother trying with someone who won’t ever understand the stresses they go through. Either that, or they try the ‘friends with benefits’ approach, which never works well. Just look at those two from Quartet Night- everyone knows Kotobuki would be all over Kurosaki if it weren’t for that rule. That secret’s a ticking time bomb as it is, I’m amazed they had the guts to try it.”

“Which is why,” came an imposing voice from the doorway, “It will remain a secret. This mission is about STARISH and the Flower Division, and no one else.”

Tokiya brushed his dark hair out of his eyes, staring pointedly at Nagi. The little brat growled and picked up his phone once more.

“I know,” he grumbled. “But she asked. Lay off.”

“How are things going?” Tokiya asked, crossing to glance at Tsubaki’s monitor over her shoulder.

“They’re taking off like a shot,” Tsubaki said, clicking through the windows so that Tokiya could see the full effect.

“Perfect,” the taller man said. “But it won’t be long before Saotome has time to respond." 

“You idiots better not screw it up,” Nagi threatened. Tokiya simply ignored him.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, Shining Saotome,” he murmured under his breath.

 

* * *

 

 

An hour later, the various members of the Flower Division and STARISH sat in the reception area of Shining Agency’s Tokyo branch, most of the sweating bullets, as they waited for Saotome’s verdict. They still wore their costumes from the advertisement concert. Sakura and Haruka clung to each others’ hands for dear life. Syo and Kanna both fidgeted endlessly. Had they been at the Imperial Theater, they would have begun sparring to pass the time, but this wasn’t the place for that sort of thing. The entire group was silent as a graveyard, as they silently prayed for deliverance from this tension. Only Maria and Sumire seemed entirely graceful under pressure.

“He’s been in there a long time,” Otoya worried. Tokiya had disappeared into Shining’s office only ten minutes before, but it felt like an eternity. “Maybe we should have demanded to go with him.”

“No,” Masato said, shaking his head. “This is something Ichinose is best equipped to handle alone. We’ve done our part. We have to trust that he can do the rest.”

“Iris hopes we did not cause too much trouble,” Iris mumbled, clutching Jean-Paul the bear close to her chest. She rested her head on Natsuki’s arm, as he absentmindedly untied and retied the black ribbon in her hair.

Suddenly, the door to Saotome’s office opened. Ringo poked his (her?) head out and beckoned to Haruka. “Miss Nanami,” she called.

All of the blood drained from Haruka’s face, but she got to her feet nonetheless. Concentrating carefully on slowing down her racing heart, she followed Ringo. The door swung closed behind them. After a moment, the group of idols and actresses fell back into their uncomfortable silence.

Five minutes of tension later, the lobby door opened to reveal a most surprising addition to the group.

“Otoyan!”

Kotobuki Reiji seemed in no mood to play as he stalked over to where Otoya sat. Behind him stood the other four members of Quartet Night. Ranmaru and Camus looked thoroughly amused (which was new for both of them). The redhead scrambled to his feet, confused as to why his _senpai_ seemed so annoyed. Reiji poked Otoya in the chest, scowling at him.

“I have to find out from the _fansites_ that my precious little _kouhai_ has laid claim to one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in the country?” Reiji demanded. “I’m starting to feel like you don’t care about me at all!”

“He’s been like this for hours, since he saw the ad,” Ranmaru mumbled, trying to sound like his usual gruff self. “You should’ve said something.”

Otoya went beet red. Behind him, Sakura did the same.

“Uh- Kotobuki-san,” he tried, but Reiji nearly bowled him over asking for details. He wanted to know where and when they had decided to make it official, why it had taken them so god-awful long, and weren’t they ever planning on telling him? You’d think he might be allowed to keep up with his darling _kouhai_ but he hadn’t heard a word, and not from Toki either, it was ridiculous! Otoya tried as hard as he could to keep up, but his voice seemed to have taken on a permanent stutter. Reiji looked like he was about to tackle him to the ground and force some real answers out of him when Saotome’s office door opened once more.

Everyone froze where they stood, as Tokiya appeared. His face was ashen with shock.

“What happened?” Syo demanded.

“What did he say?” added Cecil.

Tokiya paused for a moment, and cleared his throat. It didn’t help him sound any less taken aback.

“Nanami- threatened to walk,” he whispered.

“She _what?!”_ the group chorused as a whole.

Tokiya nodded, his eyes still wide as saucers.

“She said that the Flower Division may be the best thing to have ever happened to STARISH, both personally and professionally, and that she hadn’t come this far just to watch us disband over such a technicality,” he said. “If Saotome doesn’t relax the rule, at least in this case, she says she’ll quit.”

The members of STARISH glanced back and forth at one another, utterly surprised. They had seen Haruka forced to stand her ground only a few times in the past, but she had never put herself in this grave of a situation before. It only proved that she truly meant it when she said that STARISH was her life.

“And Saotome?” asked Masato quietly.

Tokiya shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said truthfully. “Ringo sent me out.”

“Hmph,” Ranmaru snorted. He and Reiji exchanged looks with one another, then with Ai and Camus. All four of them nodded simultaneously. Without a single word, Reiji and Ranmaru marched over to Saotome’s door. Ranmaru yanked it open, and despite the sound of protesting from Ringo, he and Reiji joined the party. The others watched in awe as Reiji pulled the door closed behind them, torn between wondering what they were going to say and wondering if they would even get the chance before Ringo murdered them.

Otoya buried his head in his hands.

“We’re doomed,” he said. Tokiya cuffed him on the back of the head, and snarled, “Don’t say that, you idiot.”

After that, silence reigned once more. This time it was about twenty minutes before they heard anything. Cecil took up Haruka’s post, keeping Sakura’s dainty hands locked with his warm, brown ones, trying to calm her nerves. Maria and Camus started up a hushed conversation, barely above a whisper. No one knew what they were talking about, but they weren’t about to interrupt to find out. At some point, Ren managed to sneak a comforting hand onto Sumire’s shoulder. Despite the serene look on her face, it was a testament to the anxiety she must have been hiding that she hadn’t brushed him away yet.

Eventually, _finally_ , the door opened. Everyone shot to their feet immediately.

“Sit down,” came the commanding voice of Shining Saotome as he appeared in the doorway. He wasn’t a terribly imposing man based on stature alone, but he held an aura of power that could make anyone shiver. His was one of the most impressive record labels in the country, he had even bested Raging Otori not once, but twice. Anything he said was as final as if spoken by God...or so many people thought. Realistically, only STARISH had ever managed to make the man change his mind about anything. Now the question was, could they do it again?

The various idols and actresses fell back into their seats, almost all of them shaking with nerves.

Flanked by his usual posse, Ringo and Hyuga, Saotome stepped forward. Haruka inched out from behind him to join her band, but Reiji and Ranmaru stayed there. For once in his life, Reiji looked about as intimidating as his heterochromatic counterpart.

“It seems that you boys have a knack for ridiculous ideas,” Shining boomed. He adjusted his polka-dot tie, and they could almost feel his glare through the sunglasses he wore (even inside).

“The rules are there for a reason,” Ringo added. “What do you think would happen if STARISH were to fall apart because of something like this?”

“It won’t,” Natsuki said confidently. “It definitely will never happen.”

“The girls make us better,” Syo chimed in, his aquamarine eyes hard as jewels. “Or didn’t you see the reaction we got?”

“President,” Haruka said, leaping to her feet, “Isn’t the happy pulse worth it?”

“Silence!” Saotome thundered. Haruka cringed, but when she felt Tokiya’s hand on her shoulder, it bolstered her confidence. The indigo-haired man stood as well, eye to eye with Saotome.

“President,” Tokiya intoned, “You’re heard our logical argument. The Flower Division has already added to our strength as a group. The world not only approves of it, they expect it now. Professionally, they only affect us positively.”

“And personally?” Saotome challenged, the light glinting off of his glasses. “I will not allow you to risk your careers as idols for something so foolish.”

“Personally as well,” Tokiya continued, sticking firmly to his guns. “Rumors have been spreading all over the world about the supposed ‘celebrity relationships’ within this combined grouping. The fans are dying for it. Regardless of where we stand personally, our personal lives are going to be a part of our professional image. If the fans want it, why not give it to them?”

His mouth set into a grim line.

“Or are we not in it to make people happy anymore?”

This remark was, for a moment, met only with stunned silence.

“Never underestimate the power of fangirls,” Ranmaru muttered. “In supply and demand, demand makes the rules.”

“You can’t be serious,” Hyuga said, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Oh, I think they are,” Reiji threw in lightly. “And for the record, so are we.”

“You wouldn’t!” Ringo gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth.

“We would,” Ranmaru replied rigidly. “If you idiots can’t see common sense when it’s right in front of you...we’ll walk.”

A collective gasp went up around the room.

“Kuroskai-senpai, no!” Haruka cried, but Ranmaru silenced her with a look.

“It’s okay, Haruka-chan,” Reiji said, smiling at her. His grey eyes were filled with the warmth he clearly felt for his friends. “We can all be in this together.”

“So that’s two bestselling clients you stand to lose, President,” Tokiya finished calmly. “Is your ‘just in case’ rule still worth it to you?”

Beads of sweat appeared on the president’s forehead. His hands were clenched into fists, but he said nothing. He merely turned and vanished back into his office, pulling the door behind him into a _slam_ that made everyone but Tokiya, Maria, Ai, and Camus jump.

They stared awkwardly at the closed door, not a single one of them knowing what was going on.

“Uh,” Syo began, “What just happened?”

“Did he believe us?” Otoya questioned.

“I don’t know,” Tokiya answered with a shrug.

Carefully, Ringo approached and knocked softly on the door. “President?” she called. They heard a grunt of assent, and a moment later, Ringo had disappeared into the den of the Saotome.

“I have to hand it to you guys,” Reiji said, “You don’t do anything halfway.”

“I can’t believe you did that, Rei-chan!” Otoya complained. “Now what if he says no? It’ll be all our fault you’re out of work!”

“Hey,” Ranmaru growled. “Don’t say stupid stuff. We didn’t just do this for you, got it?”

Otoya gulped. “O-okay,” he said miserably.

“We do appreciate the support,” Masato said calmly.

A moment later, Ringo reappeared. As she pulled Saotome’s door closed, the members of STARISH got to their feet, ready for whatever verdict Saotome had to give.

“Shining has a deal for you,” Ringo stated, flipping her long bubblegum pink hair out of her eyes.

“A deal?” Otoya repeated.

“The Imperial Theater seats 5,000 people,” Ringo said firmly. “The show runs for three nights. That puts the potential capacity at 15,000 guests.”

“Our usual type of performance arena only seats 10,000,” Ren mused.

“The deal is this,” Ringo continued. “We’d like to petition the Imperial Theater to sell tickets for standing room only.”

“Standing room only?” Haruka asked, confused.

Tokiya explained. “Standing room only is when a venue sells more tickets to an event than their seating capacity can hold, leaving some people to stand throughout the performance,” he said. “Usually venues don’t do it, but if they have something they think will sell extremely well, they open up SRO sales. SRO tickets usually cost less than a seated ticket, which means that more people can afford to come to the show.”

“With SRO tickets, the Imperial Theater can hold up to 5,200 guests per night. That puts total capacity at 15,600,” Ringo said. Her blue eyes flashed dangerously. “Sell every single ticket. If you fill the Imperial Theater, complete with SRO spots, for all three nights...then the agency will have nothing to say about the Flower Division.”

Shocked, the group traded glances. Filling an arena wasn’t hard, especially for a group like STARISH....but that was for concerts. Everyone went to concerts. A theatrical show was vastly different. 15,600 was a huge number of seats to fill.

“If you truly think you’re so much more powerful together,” Hyuga added decidedly, “Let’s see you prove it.”

“We will,” came a sharp voice. Otoya turned to see Sakura, her hands fisted in her skirt, staring Hyuga down. She almost radiated the confidence that Otoya really wished he had himself.

“Only 16,000?” Kanna chuckled, shoving her hands in her pockets. Her eyes burned with fire. “That’s not so hard.”

“Personally,” added Sumire, pulling her fan from her sash and snapping it open, “I’m insulted that they think so little of us.”

“We’ll fill your stupid seats, standing and everything!” Kohran said smugly. “Just you wait!”

Ringo and Hyuga looked at one another.

“Better get to work, then,” Hyuga commented offhandedly. With that, he and Ringo disappeared into Saotome’s office. As the door swung closed, everyone knew that it would not open again until all was said and done.

Everyone traded furtive looks. They had thought that this meeting might have given them some answers. Now it seemed that all it had done was add to the pile. They had three shows to sell out, and everything- Haruka, STARISH, Quartet Night, and maybe even HEAVENS –hung in the balance.

“It would seem,” Maria spoke up from the back of the room. “That we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did use a real English dub for the lyrics used in this fanfiction. Look it up, it's on YouTube and it's great.  
> Credits for the english version of "Maji LOVE 1000%" go to YouTube user Brandon M. and his fantastic crew:  
> Ittoki, Otoya: VATsukinoKei (BrandonM)  
> Kurusu, Shou: ShadyVox  
> Hijirikawa, Masato: RedyyChuu  
> Ichinose, Tokiya: Shadowlink4321  
> Shinomiya, Natsuki: Tyler Danielz  
> Jinguuji, Ren: Shadowlink4321
> 
> Mixing: VATsukinoKei  
> English Lyrics: NicoleM, VATsukinoKei


	14. Partners and Cohorts

**Top Star Revolution**

_By Auryn Rei Evroren_

 

Chapter 14: Partners and Cohorts

* * *

 

“This has gone beyond ridiculous.”

The Vice Commander’s voice was as sharp and cool as always, but the sparkle in her eyes revealed how much effort she was having to put into trying not to laugh. The members of both HEAVENS and the Wind Division stood in front of her, at the best form of ‘attention’ they could muster, given their current state of chaos. Yuri’s skirt was splattered with what looked like green paint, and her hair shed silver glitter every time she moved an inch. Next to her, Tsubaki was awkwardly trying to balance on one foot to keep from making a mess, as her left shoe had somehow become soaked in something Ayame very much hoped was apple juice. Kasumi held out a hand to help Tsubaki balance, but otherwise looked unharmed.

On the HEAVENS side, Eiichi’s smooth brown locks had been twisted and tangled up in a pair of paintbrushes like they were supposed to be hair sticks, and his fingernails had been painted an embarrassing shade of yellow. His feet were bare, revealing toes that matched. Nagi had a chain collar locked around his neck with a large tag that read “BEWARE OF DOG”. He was also sneezing every five seconds for an inexplicable reason. Only Kira looked entirely unaffected.

“We’re sorry, Vice Commander,” Tsubaki whimpered. “It just- we were trying to-”

Ayame held up a hand to silence her. “Spare me the details, I really don’t want to know,” she said, shaking her head. “Just get yourselves cleaned up as soon as possible.” She turned to face Kasumi, who straightened up immediately. “Kasumi, I expect you to maintain order this time around,” she said firmly.

“Yes, ma’am,” Kasumi replied, giving her commander a salute. Ayame returned it, then turned on her toe and left them. They heard her heels click all the way down the hallway, and breathed a collective sigh of relief when they heard the stairwell door close behind them.

Their relief, however, was short-lived. Kasumi whirled around, glaring daggers.

“What has gotten _into_ everybody?” she asked, twice as sharp as the Vice Commander. “I leave things alone for _ten minutes_ and suddenly this place is like a circus! Yuri, Tsubaki- at the very least I expect more from you two!”

The two younger girls hung their heads in shame. This was what they had expected to hear from the Vice Commander, but somehow it stung more coming from Kasumi.

“Our job is to make sure that this show happens without a hitch,” she continued. “We don’t have time to play games anymore. If we don’t act like professionals, we’ll never sell all of the tickets we need.” Kasumi paused to clear her throat, and then said, “Speaking of which, that’s what we should be doing: selling tickets. Not horsing around in the scene shop.”

“We’ll go man the box office,” Eiichi tried to offer, but Kasumi shook her head.

“No,” she said coolly. “Sumeragi-san and I will go. _You_ have some cleaning up to do.” An evil smile danced across her lips for a moment. “If you need nail polish remover, it’s on the white shelf in the props loft...though, personally, I think yellow suits you.”

Then she turned and strode out the scene shop door, headed upstairs to the box office. The remaining five cast glances at one another, in varying degrees of bitterness and shame. Then, quiet as always, Kira stole out the door after Kasumi, leaving the four pranksters to whine their way through the cleanup process together. 

* * *

Tokiya sat alone in Ayame’s office, poring over the results of his recent research. The statistics seemed to indicate that their usual demographic of teenaged girls _was_ becoming more likely to attend the theater, but it was hard to trust studies like these. There was no way to double-blind with such a frivolous matter of opinion. There was nothing to do but try as hard as they could, and trust that it would work.

Ichinose Tokiya could not stand that. He hated that, once again, everything came down to ‘heart’ and ‘belief’. It wasn’t that he didn’t really believe in the power of hope- who wouldn’t, after everything that had happened? It was just very, very hard to trust in his own personal instinct, after having been proven so many times that it was wrong. The movies all made it seem like having hope was equal to the absence of fear and anxiety, but that’s wasn’t reality. Hope was a lot harder than it looked. Hope meant work, it meant having to constantly remind oneself to stop looking at the statistics, stop trying to prove it wrong, stop overthinking. The thing was, Tokiya was just so good at overthinking.

Sighing, Tokiya tossed the papers aside. It wouldn’t do to keep staring at them and worrying himself into a frenzy.

He sent up thanks to every god he knew of when he heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” he called, trying to shake off the bad vibes. When the door clicked and swung open, it was mildly surprising to see Jinguji Ren. What’s more, he had a tray with tea balanced in one hand.

“Jinguji?” Tokiya asked, blinking. “Did you need something? The Vice Commander’s out at the moment.”

Ren nodded. “I know, I passed her in the hall on her way out. She said that if you hadn’t emerged from here in the next forty minutes, we should check to make sure you weren’t dead. That was an hour ago.” He set the tea tray on the desk, dropped into a chair, and poured a cup for each of them.

“Glad to hear you’re so concerned for my well-being that you’re only twenty minutes late,” Tokiya joked. Gratefully he accepted a cup of tea, very thankful for the warmth and slight caffeine level. All joking aside, Ren had good timing.

“How did dress rehearsal go?” Tokiya asked.

Ren shrugged, his eyes concentrated on the wooden desk, as though he wasn’t really looking at it. “It went,” he said with a shrug. “Everything’s in place- we all know our lines, the choreography’s impeccable, the sets and costumes are all ready to go. It’s going to be a great show.”

“But?” Tokiya inferred.

“The stress is killing us,” Ren said bluntly. “Everyone’s so worried about whether or not we’ll fill seats that it’s driving people crazy.”

“That’s unavoidable,” Tokiya said, dejected.

Ren nodded in agreement.

“On a brighter note, the response from your press conference has been very positive,” the dark-haired man added. The previous day, Ren and Sumire had invited the press to a conference to discuss the upcoming production, and get some more advertising in. At Tokiya’s suggestion, when faced with questions about their personal relationship, they went with the honesty approach, though playing it up a bit. Ren had fawned all over her, telling the press how lovely it was to work with such a beautiful and talented actress, and subtly implying that he was vying for her heart, but clearly had not won it yet.

_“What do you think, darlings?”_ he had asked the public, winking his eye. _“Do I stand a chance against the perfection of Miss Kanzaki?”_

Sumire had rebuffed him with an airy sniff, and focused on discussing the show, refusing to answer any questions of a personal nature. It had worked well, leaving the audience with a tidbit to keep them holding on, without giving anyone the impression they were together. No one could argue that they were breaking rules. Saotome’s agency was, of course, aware of it all, and remained silent. To anyone in the industry who cared, they were playing it off as a marketing ploy, nothing else.

The other members of the troupe had been pulling their weight as well. Sakura and the nymph trio had staged an impromptu ballet performance downtown, to generate interest. Syo was reaching out to his action film connections, bragging about the show’s exquisite combat scenes and special effects. He even asked the producers of _Prince of Fighting_ to come to the show ‘to scout out some new talent’ he’d found.

“Don’t sell yourself short here, Ichi,” Ren said. “Your ideas were what spearheaded all of that. If we sell out, I feel like it will be mostly thanks to you. You’ve really gotten the hang of this ‘agency rep’ thing.”

Tokiya shrugged. His hand was inching its way across the desk toward the papers he’d tossed aside earlier. “It’s a different approach, for sure,” he mused. “I suppose you were right about me.”

Ren raise a quizzical brow. “When?”

A wry smile crossed Tokiya’s face as he met Ren’s princely blue eyes. “When we first started the Master Course, you told our _senpais_ that we didn’t need them, remember?” he said. His smile brightened as he saw Ren’s eyes light up in acknowledgement. He, too, remembered that moment.

Ren had thrown his arm around Tokiya’s shoulders, stared Kurosaki Ranmaru in the eye, and claimed that if they ever really got stuck as idols, they would have Tokiya, a “senior in the entertainment business”, there to help them out. It was a small thing, but it had spoken worlds to Tokiya. He had never thought of his past as HAYATO being as asset, rather than the embarrassing scar of a failed career as he often remembered it. Also, it had surprised him to hear Jinguji Ren, of all people, defend his ability as an idol (even if it was in a roundabout way). It still surprised him sometimes that Ren could say something nice about someone besides himself or Haruka.

“And we don’t,” Ren agreed, reaffirming his original statement. “You do twice the amount of work they do, and seem to be getting results to match. You’re wasted as an idol.”

“You know,” Tokiya said mildly, “The Vice Commander said something similar. I’m starting to wonder if you two aren’t right.”

Ren sat up straighter, and propped his elbows on the desk so that he faced Tokiya man-to-man. “Thinking of moving to the big playground?” he asked.

“’Thinking’ is a bit strong,” Tokiya admitted, “Certainly not right now, STARISH is more important. But I’ve considered it as a future option. Realistically, idols don’t stay in the spotlight forever. Eventually STARISH is going to run out of effect.”

“Like HAYATO did,” Ren mused. Tokiya nodded. “If I keep gaining skills like this, a job in the managerial side of the industry isn’t out of the realm of possibility,” the dark-haired man added. “Who knows. Maybe even a new record label.”

At that, the pair of them fell silent. Tokiya realized the impact of his words just as it was too late to take them back. A new record label...he hadn’t really thought about it in a serious way, but now that the idea was out in the open, it became clear what kind of an option it was.

“Ichinose,” Ren said slowly, “You get what you just said?”

“Yeah,” Tokiya breathed.

“A new record label- with something like that, you could change the industry completely,” Ren added. His tone was deadly serious. It was a side of him that rarely showed itself, but Tokiya in particular had long since learned to respect it. Ren wasn’t a brainless playboy like the media made him out to be. His ideas- and his instincts –were good. If he thought they truly had a chance, he would take it seriously.

“It wouldn’t be easy,” Tokiya muttered, “But it’s something to consider.”

“Consider carefully,” Ren quipped sharply. “It’s not something you can do halfway. If you’re going to try it, you’ll have to be all in. Once you get started, that’s it.”

Tokiya closed his eyes, and a slight smile appeared on his face. “You’re always doing that to me,” he murmured. “Always pushing me. From the beginning.”

Ren’s blue eyes softened. “That’s what partners do,” he replied with a coy grin. Yawning, he got to his feet, and began to gather up the empty teacups and such. It was getting to be close to dinner time soon. Balancing everything on his tea tray with the ease of a practiced waiter (where had he learned to do that?), Ren headed for the door.

“Don’t stare at papers until your eyes rot,” Ren called over his shoulder as he pushed open the door. “For now, you’re still an idol, after all. And...”

The strawberry blonde paused, as Tokiya glanced up to meet his eyes.

“You might not want to mention it to anyone,” Ren advised quietly. “The Lady might not like it. Or the others.”

“You’re right,” Tokiya replied solemnly. It was ironic, really, that Ren was the one to voice such a sentiment. Jinguji had always been the one who grumbled the loudest when Tokiya had trouble putting STARISH first. Originally, it had been a major point of dissention for them. But they were both older and more experienced now.

Ren raised a hand in farewell. “See you at dinner,” he said, and let the door swing closed behind him.

As Tokiya returned to his work, he thought maybe Ren had a point. They could think about the future all they wanted, but they weren’t there just yet. It was time to pay more attention to the present. 

* * *

 

A light knock at the open door to Captain Ohgami’s room caused the captain and his temporary roommate, Cecil, to jump in surprise. Cecil had been very focused on writing something at Ohgami’s desk, while Ohgami cleaned his twin swords on the bed. However, when the captain saw Kohran’s violet braids in the doorway, a bright smile lit up his face.

“Kohran-chan!” he said warmly. “Come in!”

“Thanks, captain,” Kohran said cheerfully. “Can I borrow your roommate for a minute?”

“Me?” said Cecil, sitting up. 

“Yep,” Kohran replied. “I need a favor. Well, I need a phone number.”

Cecil raised his brows, his jade eyes confused. “A phone number?” he repeated. “Whose?”

Kohran glanced down at the ground, scuffing her shoe against the wooden floor. “That’s the thing...” she said, blushing slightly. “I need your _senpai_ ’s number.”

Both Cecil’s and Ohgami’s nearly bugged out of their heads. “WHAAAA?” they chorused in unison.

“Camus- _senpai_ ’s?” said Cecil.

“Phone number?” Ohgami said, alarmed.

Kohran raised her hands and waved them off. “No, no, it’s not what you think!” she cried, her face flushed red. “I just- it’s been driving me _crazy_ , every time we see them, and I just have to ask is all! I have to know for sure!”

Cecil and Ohgami traded furtive looks. “Know what?” they asked together.

Again, Kohran waved off their questions. “It’s nothing important,” she said vaguely, eyes darting back and forth. “I just need to talk to him. So are you gonna give me his number or not?”

Cecil blinked. “Uh...sure?”

The wacky little mechanic just threw her head back and beamed. “Great!” she said brightly. Her glasses glinted dangerously as Cecil hastily scribbled Camus’ number on a scrap of paper. Once she had it in her fist, Kohran disappeared out the door. Her maniacal laughter echoed behind her, all the way down the hallway and down to the Koubu hangar.

Stunned, Ohgami’s onyx eyes met Cecil’s green ones. “What just happened?” Cecil asked plaintively. Ohgami sighed and shook his head.

“Cecil-kun,” he said, “Sometimes, with Kohran, it’s just better not to ask.”

* * *

 Nagi’s feet dragged against the floor as he trudged across the lobby toward the box office. He’d managed to get his chain collar off, but his neck was red and raw in places as a result. His hair was mussed and his clothes were rumpled, not to mention he was _tired_. He’d been listening to that hypercritical Yuri nag for _hours_ , and now he had a headache too. This was usually the part of the day where he bothered Kira until the older boy gave him some aspirin, but Kira had gone off to sell tickets.

“Stupid show,” Nagi grumbled as he approached the box office. He reached out and put his hand on the cold metal doorknob.

“Kira,” the little brat whined as he pushed open the door. “Do you have any-”

Suddenly, his eyes went wide. Nagi’s face flushed bright tomato red, and there was fair argument for steam pouring out his ears.

“K-K-Kira!” he screeched at the top of his lungs.

The dark-haired older teen was being pressed up against the wall of the office, his black hair nearly as mussed as Nagi’s. However, from the look of the shapely brunette whose lips were currently locked on his, it was clear that their states of dishevelment came from very different sources. But that wasn’t all. Her slender hands had a firm hold on his shirt collar, and Kira’s arms were wrapped _around that woman’s waist_. He was kissing her back! And that purple kimono looked awfully familiar...

Nagi’s head nearly exploded.

The brunette released her captive, and turned to glare daggers at the little intruder.

“Mikado,” Kasumi hissed, her chocolate-brown eyes burning like embers. “I thought I told you to clean up the shop.” Behind her, Kira’s golden eyes flashed dangerously, and his mouth set into a grim line. His hands tightened on Kasumi’s waist. He said nothing, as usual.

By now, Nagi was trembling in shock. His mouth opened and closed like a fish as he struggled to find something to say, but it was like the nerves that connected his brain and his mouth had been completely severed. His headache was now so much worse.

Nagi turned and fled, racing as quickly as he could down the hallway, screaming loudly enough for the entire theater to hear.

_“EIICHIIIIIIIIIIIIII!”_  

* * *

Maria was the first to arrive at dinner. The delicious smells coming from the kitchen reminded her that Kanna was at the stove today. Smiling softly, the tall Russian poked her head into the kitchen to say hello.

“Kanna,” she called. “You’re out of time.”

“I know!” shouted the redhead who stood next to the oven. She wore a food-stained apron and a handkerchief over her head, but her arms were crossed angrily over her chest. She glared at the oven as if it had personally offended her, and was grinding her teeth violently. The classic signs of an impatient Kanna.

“You’ll give yourself lockjaw if you keep doing that,” Maria said lightly. She placed a hand on Kanna’s shoulder. “How much longer on the timer?”

“Ten minutes,” Kanna growled. “Honestly, it’s just _bread_ , there’s no reason why it should take this long. It would’ve been in sooner, but the chicken took forever.” Peering in the oven window, Maria could see the tray of what looked like garlic bread. On the stovetop was a pot of pasta, and a pot of some red sauce that seemed to the be source of the delicious kitchen smell as it simmered.

“Italian today?” she asked. Kanna nodded, and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “His idea,” the redhead muttered. When Maria turned to look, she found that they weren’t alone in the kitchen. On the countertop on the other side of the kitchen was a platter of the breaded chicken Kanna had mentioned, being carefully topped with white cheese by Hijirikawa Masato.

“Chicken parmesan is a good meal for a night like this,” Masa said quietly, as he spread cheese across the tender pieces of chicken. “It features protein and carbohydrates, which we all need to keep our strength up. Particularly if some of us continue to stint on food right before the show.”

“So you noticed Sumire’s habit,” Maria said with a smile. “You would think such a seasoned actress would know better than to let stress take a toll on her appetite.”

“That Cecil kid too,” Kanna added. “He needs some more meat on his bones.”

“I’m sure it will be delicious,” Maria said. “I will let the others know.” She leaned in close to Kanna’s ear and whispered something unintelligible, which made the Okinawan’s face turn bright red, and then disappeared back into the dining hall. 

By now, nearly everyone else had arrived. Though they usually chose to eat apart from the rest, the musical ensemble had been invited to join the cast and crew for dinner for the eve of opening night. They were gathered at their own table, and looked pleasantly content (if not as loud and rambunctious as some of the others). The rest were sitting more or less in their usual groups, with only one real exception. Normally the members of the Wind Division and HEAVENS sat together, but today they had somewhat broken up. Kasumi, Yuri, Tsubaki, and Sumeragi had taken up places at Sumire and Maria’s usual table. There was something odd about how Mikado and Otori still sat in the corner, the younger of the two shivering and wide-eyed.

_I suppose the pranks went too far at last,_ Maria assumed. “Dinner will be a few minutes late,” she announced, and was met with groans all around. Ignoring it, Maria remained standing, to keep everyone’s attention. She had one more job tonight.

“The Vice Commander is away on business this evening, and she requested that I pass on some pertinent information,” Maria intoned, her firm military voice causing a hush in the room. “As we are delayed, this seems like an appropriate moment.” She projected her voice as she would on stage, so that the pair in the kitchen would hear her as well. Syo, Kohran, and Iris turned in their seats so they could face her. Sakura looked pale, but her expression remained neutral.

Maria locked her hands behind her back, and proceeded to pass on Ayame’s message.

“The Vice Commander wishes you- wishes us to know that we have surpassed her expectations as of yet,” Maria said calmly. “She expressed a desire that we continue to do so in tomorrow’s opening performance.”

Triumphant smiles lit up faces around the room.

“Tomorrow we will have no formal practice,” Maria continued, “Each cast member will be responsible for making sure that they are in optimal condition by the time the curtain goes up. How you use this time is up to you. Showtime is eight-o’clock. Crew call will be at four, cast call at five.”

She turned her emerald gaze on the members of the crew, the Wind Division and HEAVENS. “You six already have your assignments,” Maria said. They nodded sharply.

Kasumi was going to be in charge of customer relations. She and Tsubaki would take tickets and help usher people to their seats. Eiichi would be in the tech booth, in charge of the lights and sound for the show. He would have Ohgami as an extra set of hands. Yuri would be the stage manager, controlling everything back stage, while on headset communication with Eiichi. Kira was technical support, in charge of sets and scene changes, trapdoors, props, and anything mechanical from the stage side. Last but not least, Nagi was to be king of the dressing room, in charge of all makeup and costumes, including quick-changes.

“We are down to the wire here,” Maria said finally. “But this is a challenge to which we can- and will –rise.” She gestured to Kasumi, who got to her feet. As the Deputy Captain took her seat, Kasumi cleared her throat and addressed the cast and crew.

“With regards to our predicament with Shining Agency,” she began, and the room went dead silent. They all held their breath, waiting. Had they sold enough tickets? Only Kasumi really knew. All it took was one night of failed sales and they would lose the bet entirely. One ticket could ruin everything. Sakura and Haruka gripped each others’ hands under the table until their knuckles went white. Sumire pursed her lips. Tokiya and Ren exchanged concerned glances.

“We have...” Kasumi said slowly. Hearts pounded so hard you could hear them echo around the room.

“...sold out for opening night.”

Instantly, the room erupted into a deafening cheering. Almost everyone was on their feet, hugging and hollering.

“We did it!” Sakura cheered. She leaned up and gave Otoya a kiss on the cheek, which of course made them both blush. “Hell yes!” Kanna shouted from the kitchen doorway. Iris launched herself at Natsuki for a hug, and wound up crushed in his arms like a teddy bear, as Kohran and Cecil high-fived. However, the most shocking of all of the reactions was that of one Kurusu Syo.

Black-nailed fingers wrapped themselves around Haruka’s wrist. Without even thinking, Syo pulled her close, threw his free arm around her waist, and kissed her for all he was worth.

When they saw it, the whole group inhaled sharply as one. They stared at the pair, waiting for some kind of resolution. Haruka blinked, completely shocked, as her cheeks flushed red. Still, she made no move to push Syo away.

After a moment, Syo broke away. He gripped Haruka’s arms and bowed his head, pressing his forehead into her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he rasped. “I shouldn’t have done that.” Haruka just stood there, trying desperately to form words.

“S-Syo-kun,” she stuttered. He shook his head, silencing her. “It’s okay, Nanami,” he said. He looked up, and she saw the sparkle in his aquamarine eyes. It was the bright, spunky look that only Syo could pull off. “It’s okay,” he repeated warmly. “You don’t have to say anything. We can talk another time.”

Slowly, Haruka nodded.

Kanna coughed pointedly. “Dinner is served,” she announced, as Masato emerged from the kitchen door bearing a large tray of plates. From that point on, no one said a word about what had happened between Syo and Haruka, even if they couldn’t help but steal nosy glances once in a while.

They had succeeded, for now. The theater was sold out for the first performance night. While tickets had been sold for the following two shows, they were not yet full, particularly since the addition of SRO seats. However, the initial win had sent everyone into a euphoric high that (they hoped) would lead to an absolutely stunning opening performance. As the Flower Division, STARISH, HEAVENS, and the Seiso Academy ensemble dug into their thoughtfully-made dinner, they gave one another the brightest, most encouraging smiles they had in them.

They had managed to convince the world that their show was a wonderful and amazing display of talent. Now all they had to do was live up to it.


End file.
